with a very few troops, had hitherto been able to keep in awe the difaffected people of Canada, notwithstanding all the reprefentations of the colonifls He had now augmented his army by a confiderable number of Indians, and promifed even in his prefent fituation to make a very formidable refif

tance.

-As foon as general Montgomery arrived at Crown Point, he received information that feveral armed veffels were ftationed at St. John's, a ftrong fort on the Sorel, with a view to prevent his croffing the lakes; on which he took poffeffion of an island which commands the mouth of the Sorel, and by which he could prevent them from entering the lake. In conjunction with general Schuyler, he next proceeded to St. John's: but finding that place too ftrong, he landed on a part of the country confiderably dillant, and full of woods and fwamps. From thence, however, they were driveu by a party of Indians whom general Carleton had employed.

The provincial army wts now obliged to retreat to the island of which they had at first taken poffeffion; where General Schuyler being taken ill, Montgomery was left to command alone. His firft ftep was to gain over the Indians whom Gen. Carleton had employed, and this he in a great meafure accomplished; after which, on receiving the full number of troops appointed for this expedition, he determined to lay fiege to St. John's. In this he was facilitated by the reduction of Chamblee. a finall fort in the neighbourhood, where he found a large fupply of powder. An attempt was made by Gen. Carleton to relieve the place; for which purpose he with great pains collected about a 1000 Canadians, while Colonel Maclean propof ed to raise a regiment of the Highlanders who had emigrated from their own country to America.

But while Gen, Carleton was on his march with these new levies, he was atracked by a fuperior force of provincials, and utterly defeated; which being made known to another body of the Canadians who had joined Colotel Maclean, they abandoned him without friking a blow, and he was obliged to retreat to Quebec.

As the defeat of Gen. Carleton and the desertion of Maclean's forces, left no room for the garrifon of St. John's to hope for any relief, they now confented to furrender themfelves prifoners of war; but were in other refpects treated with great humanity. They were in number 500 regulars and 200 Canadians, among them were many of the French nobility, who had been very active in promoting the caufe of Britain among their country

Gen. Montgomery next took meafures to prevent the British fhipping from paffing down the river from Montreal to Quebec. This he accomplished fo effectually, that the whole were taken. The town felf was obliged to furrender at difcretion; and it was with the utmoft difficulty that Gen. Carleton efcaped in an open boat by the favour of a dark night.

No further obstacle now remained in the way of the Americans to the capital, except what arose from the nature of the country; and those in. deed were very confiderable. Nothing, however, could damp their ardour.

pene

Notwithstanding it was now the middle of November, and the depth of winter was at hand, Colonel Arnold, who afterwards turned a traiter to the glorious caufe which he at that time efpoufed, formed a defign of trating through woods, moraffes, and the moft frightful folitudes from New England to Canada by a nearer way than that which Montgomery had chofen; and this he accomplished in fpite of every difficulty, to the ailonithVOL. IV.

K

ment of all who faw or heard of the attempt. This defperate march, however, cannot be looked upon as conducive to any good purpose. A third part of his men under another colonel had abandoned him by the way, under pretence of want of provifions; the total want of artillery rendered his prefence infignificant before a place ftrongly fortified; and the fmalinefs of his army rendered it doubtful whether he could have taken the town by furprife. The Canadians indeed were amazed at the exploit, and their inclination to revolt from Britain was fomewhat augmented; but none of them as yet took up arms in behalf of America. The confternation into which the town of Quebec was thrown, proved detrimental rather than otherwife to the expedition; as it doubled the vigilance and activity of the inhabitants to prevent any furprife; and the appearance of common danger united all parties, who, before the arrival of Arnold, were contending moft violently with one another. He was therefore obliged to content himself with blocking up the avenues to the town, in order to diflrefs the garrifon for want of provifions; and even this, he was unable to do effectually, by reafon of the finall number of his men.

The matter was not much mended by the arrival of General Montgomery. The force he had with him, even when united to that of Arnold, was too infignificant to attempt the reduction of a place fo ftrongly fortified, efpecially with the affillance only of a few mortars and field-pieces. After the fiege had continued through the month of December, Gen. Montgome Ty, confcious that he could accomplish his end no other way than by furprife, refolved to make an attempt on the last day of the year 1775. The method he took at this time was perhaps the beft that human wildom could devife. He advanced by break of day, in the midft of an heavy fall of fnow, which covered his men from the fight of the enemy. Two real attacks were made by himself and Colonel Arnold, at the fame time that two feigned attacks were made on two other places, thus to distract a garrifon, and make them divide their forces. One of the real attacks was made by the people of New-York, and the other, by thofe of New England under Arnold. Their hopes of furprifing the place, however, were defeated by the fignal for the attack, being through fome miftake given 100 foon. Gen. Montgomery hinfelf had the most dangerous place, being obliged to pafs between the river and fome high rocks on which the Upper Town flands; fo that he was forced to make what hafle he could to clofe with the enemy. His fate, however, was now decided. Having forced the firft barrier, a violent difcharge of mufketry and grape-fhos from the fecond killed him, his principal officers, and the most of the party he commanded; on which thofe who remained immediately retreated. Colonel Aarnold in the mean time made a defperate attack on the lower town, and carried one of the barriers after an obflinate refiftance for an hour; but in the action he himself received a wound, which obliged him to withdraw. The attack, however, was continued by the officers whom he had left, and another barrier forced but the garrifon, now perceiving that nothing was to be feared except from that quarter, collected their whole force againft it; and, after a defparate engagement of three hours, overpowered the provincials, and obliged them to

furrender.

In this action, it must be confeffed that the valour of the provincial troops could not be exceeded. They had fought under as great difadvantages as those which attended the British at Bunker's hill, and had behaved equally well. Such a terrible difafter left no hope remaining of the accomplishment

of their purpose, as General Arnold could now fcarce number 800 effective. men under Lis command. He did not, however, abandon the province, or even remove to a greater diflance than three miles from Quebec: and there he fill found means to annoy the garrifon very confiderably by intercepting their provifions. The Canadians notwithflanding the bad fuccefs of the American arms, fill continued friendly; and thus he was enabled to fuftain the hardships of a winter encampment in that moft fevere climate. The congrefs, far from paffing any cenfure on him for his misfortune, created him a brigadier-general.

While hoflilities were thus carried on with vigour, in the north, the fame of contention was gradually extending itfelf in the fouth. Lord Dunmore, the governor of Virginia, was involved in difputes fimilar to thofe which had taken place in other colonies. Thefe had proceeded fo far that the affembly was difolved; which in this province was attended with a conSequence unknown to the reft. As Virginia contained a great number of flaves, it was neceffary that a militia fhould be kept conftantly on foot to keep them in awe. During the diffolution of the affembly the militia-laws expired; and the people, after complaining of the danger they were in from the negroes, formed a convention, which enacted that every county fhould raife a quota for the defence of the province. Dunmore, on this, removed the powder from Williamsburg; which created fuch difcontents, that an imediate quarrel would probably have enfued, had not the merchants of the town undertaken to obtain fatisfaction for the injury fuppofed, to be done to the community. This tranquility, however, was foon interrupted; the people alarmed by a report that an armed party were on their way from the man of war where the powder had been depofited, affembled in arms, and determined to oppofe by force any farther removals. In fome of the conferences which palled at this time, the governor let fall fome unguarded exprellions, fuch as threatening them with fetting up the royal flandard, proclaiming liberty to the negroes, defroying the town of Williamsburg, &c. which were afterwards made puhlic, and very probably exaggerated fo as greatly to increase the public ferment.

The people now held frequent affemblies. Some of them took up arms in order to force the governor to restore the powder, and to take the public money into their poffeffion; but on their way to Williamsburg for this purpofe, they were met by the receiver general, who became fecurity for the payment of the gun powder, and the inhabitants promifed to take care of the magazine and public revenue.

By this infurrection the governor was fo much intimidated, that he fent Eis family on board a man of war. He himself, however, iffued a proclamation, in which he declared the behavionr of the perfons who promoted the tumult treasonable, accufed the people of diffaffection, &c. On their part they were by no means deficient in recriminating; and fome letters of his to Britain being about the fame time difcovered, confequences enfued extremely fimilar to thofe which had been occafioned by those of Mr. Hutchinfon at Boston.

In this flate of confufion the governor thought it neceffary to fortify his palace with artillery, and procure a party of marines to guard it. Lord North's conciliatory propofal arriving alfo about the fame time. he ufed his utmost endeavours to caufe the people to comply with it. The arguments he ufed were certainly very ingenious; and had not matters already gone to fuch a pitch of diffraction, it is highly probable that fome

attention would have been paid to them. "The view (he faid) in which the colonies ought to behold this conciliatory propofal, was no more than an earneft admonition from Great Britain to relieve her wants: that the utmoll condefcendence had been used in the mode of application; no determinate fum baving been fixed, as it was thought moft worthy of British generofity to take what they thought could be conveniently fpared, and likewife to leave the mode of railing it to themselves, &c." But the clamour and diffatisfaction were now fo univerfal, that nothing else could be attended to The governor had called an affembly for the purpose of laying this conciliatory propofal before them; but it had been little attended to. The affembly began their feffion by inquiries into the fate of the magazine. It had been broken into by fome of the townfmen; for which reafon fpringguns had been placed there by the governor, which difcharged themselves upon the offenders at their entrance: thefe circumflances, with others of a fimilar kind, raifed fuch a violent uproar, that as foon as the preliminary bufinefs of the feffion was over, the governor retired on board a man of war, informing the affembly that he durft no longer truft himself on fhore. This produced a long courfe of difputation, which ended in a positive refufal of the governor to truft himself again in Williamsburg, even to give his affent to the bills, which could nor be paffed without it, and though the affembly offered to bind themselves for his perfonal fafety. In his turn he requested them to meet him on board the man of war, where he then was; but this propofal was rejected, and all further correfpondence containing the leaft appearence of friendship was difcontinued.

Lord Dunmore, thus deprived of his government, attempted to reduce by force thofe whom he could no longer govern. Some of the moft ftrenuous adherents to the British caufe, whom their zeal had rendered obnoxious at home, now repaired to him. He was alfo joined by numbers of black flaves. With these, and the affillance of the Britifh fhipping, he was for fome time enabled to carry on a kind of predatory war, fufficient to hurt and exafperate, but not to fubdue. After fome inconfiderable attempts on land, proclaiming liberty to the flaves, and fetting up the royal ftandard, he took up his refidence at Norfolk, a maritime town of fome confequence, where the people were better affected to Britain than in moft cher places. A confiderable force, however, was collected against him; and the natural impetuofity of his temper prompting him to act against them with more courage than caution, he was entirely defeated, and obliged to retire to his hipping, which was now crowded by the number of thofe who had incurred the refentment of the provincials.

In the mean time a scheme of the utmofl magnitude and importance was formed by one Mr. Conolly, a Pennfylvanian of an intrepid and afpiring difpofition, and attached to the caule of Britain. The fift ftep of this plan was to enter into a league with the Ohio Indians. This be communicated to lord Dunmore, and it received his approbation: Upon which Conolly fet out, and actually fucceeded in his defign. On his return he was difpatched to General Gage, from whom he received a colonel's commiffion, and fet out in order to accomplish the remainder of his scheme. The plan in general was, that he should return to the Ohio, where by the afliftance of the British and the Indians in thefe parts, he was to percuate through the back fettlements into Virginia, and join lord Dunmore at Alexandria. But by an accident very naturally to be expelled, he was difcovered, taken prifoner, and thrown into a dungeon.

After the retreat of lord Dunmore from Norfolk, that place was taken poffeffion of by the provincials, who treated the loyalills that had remained there with great feverity; at the fame time that they greatly diftreffed thofe on board lord Dunmore's fleet by refuting to fupply then with any neceffa ries. Nor was this all; the vicinity of the fhipping was fo great as to afford the riflemen an opportunity of aiming at the people on board, and exerciting the cruel occupation of killing them, in which they did not fail every day to employ themselves. Thefe proceedings at last drew a remonftrance from his Lordship; in which he infifted that the fleet should be furnished with neceffaries, and that the foldiers fhould defift from the cruel diverfion above-mentioned; but both these requefis being denied, a refolution was taken to fet fire to the town. After giving the inhabitants proper warning, a party landed, under cover of a man of war, and fet fire to that part which lay nearest the fhore; but the flames were obferved at the fame time to break forth in every other quarter, and the whole town was reduced to afhes. This univerfal deflrucwas fuppofed to have occafioned a lofs of 10 lefs than 1,332,000 dul

lars.

In the fouthern colonies of Carolina the governors were expelled and obliged to take refuge on board of men of war, as lord Dunmore had been; Mr. Martin governor of North Carolina, on a charge of attempting to raise the back-fettlers, confifling chiefly of Scots Highlanders, against the colony. Having fecured themfelves against any attempts from these enemies, however, they proceeded to regulate their internal concerns in the fame manner as the reft of the colonies; and by the end of the year 1775, Britain beheld the whole of America united against her in the molt determined oppofition. Her valt poffeffions of that tract of land (fince known by the name of the United States) were now reduced to the fingle town of Boston; in which her forces were befieged by an enemy with whom they were apparently not able to cope, and by whom they muft of course expect in a very fhort time to be expeiled. The fituation of the inhabitants of Bofton, indeed was peculiarly unhappy. After having failed in their attempt to leave the town, General Gage had confented to allow them to retire with their effects; but afterward, for what reafon does not well appear, he refused to fulti his promife. When he refigned his place to General Howe in October 1775 the latter, apprehenfive that they might give intelligence of the fituation of the British troops, ftrictly prohibited any perfon from leaving the place under pain of military execution. Thus matters continued till the month of March 1776,. when the town was evacuated.

On the fecond of that month, General Washington opened a battery on the weft fide of the town, from whence it was bombarded with a heavy fire of cannon at the fame time; and three days after, it was attacked by another bauery from the saftern fhore. This terrible attack continued for fourteen days without intermillion; when General Howe, finding the place no longer tenable, determined if poffible to drive the enemy from their works. Preparations were therefore made for a moft vigorous attack, on a hill called Dorchefter Neck, which the Americans had fortified in fuch a manner as would in all probability have rendered the enterprize next to defperate. No difficulties, however, were fufficient to daunt the fpirit of the general; and every thing was in readiness, wheh a fudden ftorm prevented this intended exertion of British valour. Next day, upon a more clofe infpection of the works they were to attack, it was thought advifable to delift from the enter