his officers, on this misfortune, to retreat back to Virgi nía, he replied with true military enthufiafm, "I will recover the country, or die in the attempt." Thus, in fituations where feeble minds droop and languish, the ardor of genius burns with redoubled luftre. No fooner was the British army divided and weakened by the feveral detachments néceffary to occupy their former pofts, than general Green again croffed the Saluda in force. Lord Rawdon, furprised and unprepared for action, retired to Orangeburg; and the important poft of Ninety-fix, fo gallantly defended by colonel Cruger, was now evacuated. The garrifon joining lord Rawdon, with other troops drawn from the advanced pofts, general Green took a strong pofition on the high hills of Santee, whence he detached different parties to intercept the convoys and beat up the quarters of the English between Orangeburg and Charlestown.

The British now under the command of colonel Stuart having advanced to the point of junction between the Wateree and Congaree, in order to cover the country to the fouth and fouth-eaft of thofe rivers, general Green paffed the Congaree with a view to inclofe the British army in its prefent infulated fituation, or compel them to retreat towards Charlestown. Colonel Stuart immediately fell back forty miles, to a place called Eutaw Springs, where he took an advantageous pofition, his right extending to the Eutaw, and his left to a rifing ground which was occupied by a corps de referve. General Green, with the American army, advanced, September 8, 1781, to the attack with the greatest resolution. The Virginian and Maryland continentals charged the left wing of the British with trailed arms through a heavy cannonade and shower of mufquetry, and bore down all before them. The American cavalry, at the fame time, turned the left flank of the British, and attacked them in the rear. The whole army gave way in great confufion; but in their retreat, gaining an open field,

they

they were, with much addrefs, rallied by colonel Stuart, and formed again under protection of an effective and welldirected fire from a large and moated house which ferved them in the ftead of a redoubt; and from whence the Americans, after repeated efforts, were not able to diflodge them. And the right wing of the British preffing on the left flank of the Americans, general Green thought proper to order a retreat, leaving four pieces of artillery in the hands of the British, two of which had been taken by the Americans in the early part of the engagement. The English were in no condition to pursue, and general Green carried off with him all his wounded and feveral

hundred prifoners. Alfo about five hundred men were killed and wounded on the part of the British, by the account of colonel Stuart, in this well-contefted battle, in which the officers on each fide fought hand to hand, and fword to fword. The lofs of the Americans in all these refpects was much inferior; but as colonel Stuart was left in poffeffion of the field and feveral pieces of cannon, he claimed, agreeably to military etiquette, the honor of the victory; but he might well exclaim with the monarch of Epirus, "Such another victory, and I am undone !"

In the evening of the next day, he abandoned the Eutaw and moved towards Charlestown, after destroying a great part of his ftores; leaving behind him many of his wounded, and about a thousand stand of arms. This engagement was decifive of the fate of the war in the fouthern colonies-the British not being able from this time to appear in the open field, and fcarcely could they maintain their pofts in the vicinity of Charlestown and Savannah; and in the course of the next year thofe towns were finally evacuated.

Lord Cornwallis, to whofe operations it is now neceffary to revert, on the march of general Green's army to the fouthward, found himself reduced to a perplexing dilemma-either to abandon the Carolinas to their fate, or fa

crifice

crifice his hopes of future conquefts, and entirely difap point the high and fanguine expectations, which he knew to be formed in England, of the refult of the prefent campaign. His pride at length overbalancing his prudence, he determined to profecute his march to Virginia.

The Roanoke, the Meherrin, and the Nottaway rivers were fucceffively croffed by the British army with trifling oppofition, and on the 20th of May his lordship arrived at

fburgh, where he was joined by the powerful detachment recently conducted thither by generals Arnold and Philips. The force under his lordship's command was now very formidable; and the marquis de la Fayette, who was at the head of the troops collected for the defence of the province, was compelled to keep a guarded distance, and conducted himfelf with fo much judgment, that no confiderable advantage could be obtained against him. From Petersburgh lord Cornwallis advanced to James River, which he croffed at Weft Town; and thence marching through Hanover County, croffed the South Anna or Pamunky River, whence, by a rapid movement, colonel Tarleton had nearly furprifed the affembly of Vir ginia now fitting at Charlotte-vill.

Various expeditions were undertaken to different parts of the province with uniform fuccefs; and lord Cornwallis, by a well-concerted manoeuvre, having taken a position between the American army and its grand depot of stores at Albemarle court-houfe, could not avoid exulting in his fuperiority. Knowing that the marquis de la Fayette was on his march to prevent that important capture, and believing that he could not make his approach but with great difadvantage and hazard, he in an unguarded moment exclaimed, "The boy cannot efcape me !" But the marquis had the addrefs to extricate himfelf from this difficulty, by opening in the night a nearer and long difufed road to the court-houfe: and the next day, to the furprife of lord Cornwallis,

Cornwallis, he had taken a position which effectually covered it from attack.

Lord Cornwallis, finding his plan fruftrated, proceeded to Williamsburg, the capital of the province, which he took poffeffion of, June 26th, without oppofition. Here he received advices from fir Henry Clinton, which informed him that the commander in chief, conceiving New York to be in danger from the united forces of the French and Americans, defired the troops under general id, which he had detached to Virginia, to be returned. This was the beginning of difafters. With this requifition lord Cornwallis was compelled, however reluctantly, to comply. Knowing that his adverfary had been lately reinforced by a ftrong body of troops under general Wayne, he did not think his prefent force adequate to maintain his flation at Williamsburg; he therefore determined to crofs James River to Portsmouth.

corps

From falfe intelligence general Wayne arrived with the van of the American army on the banks of the river, in expectation of attacking the rear of the British, unfortunately before any part of the army had paffed. Perceiving his mistake, he deemed it the best policy to charge boldly, though his did not amount to more than eight hundred men. After fuftaining a very unequal cónflict for fome time with great refolution, Wayne ordered a rapid retreat; and lord Cornwallis, amazed at the circumstances of this attack, and fufpecting that it must be meant to draw him into an ambuscade, forbade all purfuit; and thus the courage of Wayne, as it often happens, availed more to his fafety than if he had acted with the most timid and fcrupulous caution. In the night lord Cornwallis paffed over to Portfmouth, where he purpofed to establish his head-quarters; but, on farther deliberation, removed to York-town, as the more eligible fituation.

Hitherto the plan of the campaign on the part of genefal Wathington had wavered in uncertainty. He had long

and

and ferioufly meditated an attack upon New York, and general Clinton had good reafon to believe that this was finally determined upon at an interview between the American general and count Rochambeau, which took place in May; and in confequence of this project, great preparations were made in the vicinity of New York, indicatory of an approaching fiege. But the arrival of confiderable reinforcements from England, and the recall of fo large a body of troops from Virginia, led general Washington, in his dispatch of July 30th, to obferve," that from this change of circumftances, they should probably entirely change their plan of operations."

At length a letter from count de Graffe, ftating that his deftination was unalterably fixed to the Chefapeak, left no alternative; and a joint anfwer was immediately fent by the American and French generals, that they would lofe no time in removing the army to the fouth of the Delawar, there to meet the admiral. All the appearances of an attack upon New York were, however, ftill carefully kept up, till at length, on the 24th of Auguft, the allied army fuddenly decamped, paffed the North River, and by rapid marches proceeded to Philadelphia, where they arrived on the 30th; the fleet of count de Graffe, confifting of twenty-four ships of the line, entering nearly at the fame time the bay of Chesapeak,

So ftrongly impreffed was the mind of the British commander in chief with the notion of an attack upon New York, that he for a long time conceived the fouthern march of the American army to be only a feint. But at length, finding that the van of the American army had actually paffed the Delawar, and receiving authentic intelligence that the fleet of count de Graffe was deftined to the Chesapeak, he communicated, as he tells us, his SUSPICIONS to lord Cornwallis, at the fame time affuring his lordship, "that he would either reinforce him by every poffible