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movement, in order to counteract this project; BOOK and, immediately decamping with his whole army, took a new and strong position at White 1776. Plains, the deep river Brunx covering his front, and the North River flowing at some distance in the rear.

On the 28th of October the royal army advanced in two columns within cannon-shot of the American lines; and a part of the left wing crossing the river, attacked an advanced post of the American encampment, commanded by general Macdougal, who was compelled to retreat with loss to the main army; the right and centre, fortunately for the Americans, did not quit the ground on which they had at first formed. The next day general Howe observing the American lines much strengthened by additional works, resolved to defer the attack till the arrival of the troops which had been left on York Island; who joining him at the expected time, new dispositions were made for attacking the American lines on the last day of October, but incessant rains prevented the execution of his plan; and in the night of the 1st of November general Washington drew of his troops, and took another and still stronger position, amidst the woods and high lands bordering on the North Castle district. General Howe, perceiving that the nature of the country would not admit of forcing the Ame

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1776.

BOOK rican commander to an engagement, made a sudden movement towards Kingsbridge, and unexpectedly invested Fort Washington, a strong post which the Americans, contrary to the earnest advice of general Lee, occupied on the North River, opposite to which was Fort Lee on the Jersey side. The commander of the fortress refusing to surrender to the summons of general Howe, it was by an immediate and vigorous assault carried sword in hand, and more than 2000 men made prisoners of war. On this acquisition, lord Cornwallis was detached with a strong body of forces to form the investment of Fort Lee, but found it already abandoned by the garrison, who retired with such precipitation as to leave behind them their artillery, provisions, and stores. General Washington, who had passed the North River with a view to the protection of the province of Jersey, now found himself compelled to retreat with a very diminished force to Newark, whence he fell back on the approach of lord Cornwallis to Brunswick, leaving Newark the very morning that his lordship entered it. As the van of lord Cornwallis's army advanced to Brunswic, by a forced march, December 1, general Washington retreated to Prince-town, having first broken down the bridge erected there over the Rariton. As the orders of his lordship were positive not to advance beyond Brunswick, he

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here sent dispatches to the commander in chief, BOOK expressing sanguine hopes, that by a continued pursuit he could entirely disperse the army under general Washington, and seize his heavy baggage and artillery before he could pass the Delawar. But general Howe would not revoke his order, saying only that he would join his lordship immediately: but this junction did not take place till after an important interval of several days; and the Americans were once more saved by the cold and dilatory policy of the English general.

On the 7th, lord Cornwallis advanced to Princetown, which the Americans had scarcely quitted: and the van of his lordship's army reached at midnight, December 8, the banks of the Delawar, just as the rear-guard of the Americans gained the opposite shore. Here a cessation of the pursuit became indispensable, as no boats could be procured for transporting the troops over that great river. During this memorable retreat, general Lee, at the head of a considerable body of troops, had followed the track of lord Cornwallis, but at too great a distance to be of any service to the commander in chief. It seemed as if his proud and envious mind, which could brook no superiority, would have been gratified by the total defeat and ruin of general Washington, to whom he would, in all probability, have suc

BOOK ceeded as generalissimo of the forces of America*. But it was otherwise decreed, and an unlookedfor and unspeakable mortification and disgrace awaited him. While he lay carelessly and without a guard at a place called Basking-ridge, intelligence of his situation was communicated to colonel Harcourt, who instantly formed a plan for capturing this able officer, styled by the British army "the American Palladium." With such address and activity was this project carried into execution, that the general was seized by a party of light horse, conducted by the colonel in the night of the 13th of December 1776, and carried safely off to the British camp, though several guarded posts and armed patroles, lay in their way. This capture caused great exultation, and the prisoner was confined in the closest manner. An offer being made by the congress to exchange six field-officers for the general, it was answered, that general Lee, being a deserter from his majesty's service, did not come under the denomination of a prisoner of war, nor was he en

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titled to the benefits of the cartel; and the me- BOOK
nace of retaliation alone prevented their proceed-
ing to the last extremity against him *. During 1776.
the royal successes in the Jerseys, general Clin-
ton, with two brigades of British and two of
Hessian troops, with a squadron of men of war,
was detached to the attack of Rhode Island-
which being in no condition of defence, was
abandoned to them without resistance. It was
taken possession of by general Clinton on the very
day that general Washington crossed the Dela-
war. When the expedition was in readiness to
proceed on this enterprise, general Clinton strong-
ly urged that he might rather be permitted to
conduct it to the Delawar, where it would no
doubt have produced effects infinitely more im-
portant: for the possession of Rhode Island had
no other visible consequence than to keep a great
body of troops unemployed for three successive
years, and apparently contributing as little to the
projected reduction of the adjoining continent
as if they had been stationed at Formosa or
Japan,

The affairs of America were now in the opi-
nion of many verging to a crisis; for, though it
might reasonably be expected that the first ope-
rations of so great a force as that now employed