CH. I.] BATTLE ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN. siasm. His men fell dead around him; the hull of his ship was riddled with cannon-balls, the mainmast shattered, and the rigging cut to pieces; yet still he continued to fight on;-and when the night closed in, the battle was yet undecided. One of the American vessels had been burned, another sunk, and the rest had suffered very severely. To renew the combat on the morrow, was so obviously hopeless, that Arnold and his officers, after holding consultation, determined upon falling back to Crown Point. This, however, was much easier to resolve on than to execute, for the British commander had disposed his ships in a line from the island to the shore, so as to prevent the retreat of his enemy till daylight should enable him to attack and overpower him. But the night happened to be unusually dark; it blew a strong breeze from the north, and as soon as the English sailors had retired to rest after a hard-fought day, the American ships hoisted their sails, and slipped unperceived between those of the foe, Arnold | fetching up the rear in the battered and crazy Congress, and by daylight some ten miles intervened between him and the English ships. Here he came to anchor, to stop leaks, and make repairs, and about noon resumed the retreat. The next morning, Carleton urged forward in pursuit. A contrary wind baffled them during the day, but on the following morning, they were close upon the fugitives. The foremost ships continued their flight, and succeeded in effecting their escape, but the rear, consisting of Arnold's galley, with the 427 Washington, were attacked with redoubled fury. The Washington was soon obliged to strike, but Arnold continued to fight on till his ship was reduced to a mere wreck, and surrounded by the enemy's squadron. He then ran the Congress on shore, set fire to her, and she blew up with her colors flying. Arnold then effected a retreat, with his men, through the woods to Crown Point, narrowly escaping an Indian ambush. The Americans lost eleven vessels, principally gondolas. gondolas. The British had two gondolas sunk, and one blown up. The loss in men was about ninety on each side.* Carleton appeared off Crown Point on the 15th of October. On his approach, the American force stationed there, set fire to the houses, and retired to Ticonderoga, which Generals. Schuyler and Gates had determined to defend to the last extremity. Carleton took possession of Crown Point, and purposed attacking Ticonderoga; but on examination of the works, and in consequence of the lateness of the season, he retired, and put his army into winter-quarters on the Sorel and its vicinity. Thus, that part of the British plan which depended on Carleton's pushing forward, so as to form a junction with the force at New York, completely failed; and, as all apprehensions of danger in the north were now at an end, a small garrison was left at Ticonderoga, and most of the troops marched in November, under Gates, to join the commander-in-chief. * Cooper's "Naval History," vol. i., p. 75. Having, for the sake of continuity, carried forward, thus far, the narrative of doings in the north, we now turn our attention to the critical position of affairs in and about New York. 1776. to interfere, and to point out in the plainest language, the intense mischief that must result from these disgraceful quarrels. His words deserve to be well weighed, even in our day. "It is with great concern, that the general understands that jealousies have arisen among the troops, from the different provinces, and reflections are frequently thrown out, which can only tend to irritate each other, and injure the noble cause in which we are engaged, and which we ought to support with our hand and our heart. The general most earnestly entreats the officers and soldiers to consider, that they can no way assist our enemies more effectually, than by making divisions among themselves; that the honor and success of our army and the safety of our bleeding country depend upon harmony and good agreement with each other; that the provinces are all united to oppose the com Well may Washington have looked with anxiety upon his position and the probable issue of the contest now near at hand. When General Howe landed on Staten Island, Washington's force consisted of only ten thousand men, of whom many were disabled by sickness. Some regiments joined him from other states, yet on the 8th of August, in a letter to Congress, the commander-in-chief states, that his force is little more than seventeen thousand, and over three thousand of these were sick. Yet even under this melancholy state of things, Washington expressed the hope, that the enemy would not gain any great advantage, except at a dear price. Further reinforcements soon after raised the army to twenty-mon enemy, and all distinctions sunk seven thousand men, of whom onefourth were on the sick list. Besides being miserably equipped, and badly disciplined, sectional jealousies and dislikes prevailed to an alarming extent. The aristocratic southerner, as well as the men from the middle states, looked down upon the rough homespun of New England; and these, in turn, did not fail to express themselves very freely, as to the pride and insolent airs of their neighbors from under a warmer sky.* Washington was compelled * An American officer, writing to a friend, gives it as his opinion, that the Pennsylvania and New England troops, were as ready to fight each other as the enemy. in the name of an AMERICAN. To make this name honorable, and to preserve the liberty of our country, ought to be our only emulation, and he will be the best soldier, and the best patriot, who contributes most to this glorious work, whatever his station, and from whatever part of the continent he may come. Let all distinctions of nations, countries, and provinces, therefore, be lost in the generous contest, who shall behave with the most courage against the enemy, and the most kindness and good humor to each other. If there be any officers, or soldiers, so lost to virtue and a love of their country, as to continue in such practices after this order, the general assures them, and is CH. I.] THE BRITISH IN NEW YORK HARBOR. authorized by Congress, to declare to the whole army, that such persons shall be severely punished, and dismissed from the service with disgrace." The British troops, under General Howe, numbered some twenty-four or twenty-five thousand men. They were provided with every thing they needed, were well disciplined, and were confident of an easy victory over the rebel forces. Aided, too, by a numerous and well-appointed fleet, it was no unreasonable expectation, that a single battle might crush the Americans at once. But the British commander, and they who sent him to America, were compelled, ere long, to learn, that freemen, fighting for liberty, enter into the contest with a patient energy and zeal that are well nigh invincible. In this connection, we are tempted to quote a page or two from an admirable little volume by Mr. Tuckerman, in which are graphically narrated the life and services of one of our early naval heroes. "The lovely harbor of this now great metropolis, then offered a scene of rare and exciting interest. Riding at anchor in the vicinity of Staten Island, appeared the British fleet, with the army under Lord Howe. Every spar and line of cordage in those swarming battle-ships, was defined to the eye of the distant spectator, against the lucid azure of the sky; and, on quiet nights, reflected to the gaze of the boatmen that haunted the adjacent shore. Their dark, massive hulls and scowling cannon wore a portentous aspect, and seemed to cast long and prophetic shadows upon the free waters into which they had ruthlessly in 429 truded-significant of the years of bitter trial of which they were ominous harbingers. "Upon the heights of Brooklyn, at York Island, and Paulus Hook, rose the newly-heaped batteries of the Americans. Never smiled that lovely bay more cheerfully than during those clear days of that eventful spring. More solitary than at present, with its constantly plying steamers and forest of shipping, the position of the belligerents was plainly obvious. The comparative silence that hung over the broad waters, the fast-skimming clouds that, for a moment, darkened their crystal sheen, and the occasional furrows raised by sudden breezes that swept across them, stimulated the imagination of the lonely enthusiast, who, from some isolated point, looked forth, and mused upon the landscape. "It was evident that neither party had, as yet, determined upon its course. The considerate, on both sides, felt the importance of a successful blow, at the existent juncture; yet the actual state of the colonial defences was but partially known to their opponents, and a premature manoeuvre might occasion temporary discomfiture, even in that well-appointed squadron. On the other hand, it was of the highest moment, that the Americans should be assured of the readiness of our troops to cope with their formidable invaders. It was needful that the spell of vague alarm should be, in a measure, broken, which had been inspired by the presence of those destructive engines, whose thunders seemed to gather new potency from their long quiescence; whose shrouds and decks bristled with pikes and bayonets, and whose black and heavy sides contrasted vividly with the red hues of the soldiers' uniforms, grouped thickly at the port-holes, and on the taffrails, as if impatient to pour forth upon the land so invitingly spread below and around. To one gallant heart, this inaction was especially irksome. Captain Talbot had obtained the command of a fireship, and lay directly before the city, awaiting orders. To secure a more efficient position, and the better to disguise his purpose, he took advantage of a light wind, ascended the Hudson fifteen miles, and anchored just above Fort Washington. "For three days, in this romantic spot, he quietly awaited an opportune moment for action. On the one side, the banks of the noble river sloped gradually upward, half-covered with low cedars, whose dark umbrage already wore the refreshing tints of spring; on the other, like natural fortifications, rose the gray and upright rocks of the tufted palisades. Few dwellings were then visible; the ripple of the water on the pebbly shore was audible in the lull of the wind, and the tranquil and sequestered beauty of the scene gave no hint of the deadly preparations then making on board the unwarlike craft that swung so gently at her moorings. The lapse of a few hours after Captain Talbot had chosen his anchorage, evidenced the sagacity of his movements. Three of the enemy's ships, in order to protect the left of their army, in case of need, had shifted their ground from the harbor, to a spot about half way between the mouth of the Hudson and the fire-ship. Orders were therefore soon forwarded to the latter, to make a night attack. She was filled with combustibles, and besmeared with turpentine. Several trains of powder were laid; and one of the crew was easily induced to strip himself, and lie down upon deck, with a lighted match, ready, at a moment's warning, to ignite the vessel. "At two o'clock in the morning they weighed anchor, and dropped slowly down with the tide. The nearest of the three ships was the Asia, of sixtyfour guns, whose tall spars and towering hull no sooner loomed upon the eager gaze of Captain Talbot's hardy band, than they steered directly for her broadside. Unsuspicious of any danger, it was but a moment before her little adversary had flung her grappling irons, that the Asia fired; and then a scene ensued, that baffles description. From the depth, as it were, of profound silence, there echoed the reverberation of cannon, the cries of the wounded, and the piercing shouts of alarm and revenge. In an instant, the darkness of a cloudy night gave place to a red flashing glare, that revealed the fort, the waters, and the fields, with the distinctness of noonday; and brought into vivid relief the huge vessels of war now alive with their startled crews, who hastened to the relief of the Asia;-some pouring water on the rising flames, others disengaging the fire-ship from her side, and not a few intent at the guns, which hurled an incessant shower of balls at the boat in which the daring originator of this sudden conflagration, was propelled by his brave men to CH. I.] TALBOT'S BRAVE EXPLOIT. 431 wards the nearest shore. Although bear a removal to Hackensack, to await lighted in their aim by a pyramid of fire, of all the shot from the three vessels, but two struck the crowded bark of fugitives. Captain Talbot, however, in his anxiety to render the experiment certain, had lingered amid the burning timbers of the fire-ship, and was the last to escape, the seaman who applied the match, having, according to a previous understanding, immediately jumped overboard, and been picked up by his expectant comrades. When, therefore, the boat reached the Jersey shore in safety, the appearance of the gallant leader was frightful, and his sufferings intense. His skin was blistered from head to foot, his dress almost entirely consumed, and his eye-sight gone. 66 his convalescence. Meantime, the Asia had been extricated, with great difficulty, from her perilous situation; and the bold enterprise that so nearly proved her destruction, created such apprehension and loss of confidence in the enemy, that they slipped their cables, fell down the river, and anchored below the city. The hopes of the Americans revived in the same proportion as those of the British were discouraged. So obvious, indeed, was the auspicious influence of this event, that by a resolution of Congress, passed on the tenth of the ensuing October, this spirited attempt," as it was designated, of Captain Talbot, was made the occasion of a vote of thanks, and a special recommendation of that officer to the commander-in-chief, besides, promoting him to the rank of major. 66 "October 10th, 1777. Resolved, That Captain Silas Talbot, of the State of Rhode Island, be promoted to the rank, and have the pay, of major in the army of the United States, in consideration of his merit and services, in a spirited attempt to set fire to one of the enemy's ships of war, in the North River, last year; and that he be recommended to General Washington, for employment agreeable to his rank."* Sadly, yet with gentle care, his humble companions in danger, bore him through the solitary woods, in the gray, cold twilight of morning, to a thin but hospitable settlement, then called the English Neighborhood; but, on their arrival, his dreadful condition so alarmed the children of the place, that no house would give him shelter. At last a poor and aged widow opened her cabin door, and allowed the weary and scorched bearers to lay him on the floor, and cover his tortured frame with a blanket. Fortunately, in the course of that day, two American officers, General Knox and Dr. Eustis, passed the vicinity on business; and hearing of the case, hastened to visit their countryman. The seasonable medical aid of the latter gentleman, soon essentially relieved his anguish; and although for a considerable period de#66 Life of Silas Talbot, Commodore in the U. S. prived of vision, he was soon able to | Navy," by Henry T. Tuckerman, pp. 22–30. Washington had expected that the attack would be made by way of Long Island. He had, accordingly, made his arrangements with reference to this result. General Greene had carefully studied the ground, and fortifications |