John's which commands the entrance into Canada. The prif oners amounted to about feven hundred. General Montgom ery pursued his fuccefs and took Montreal; and defigned to push his victories to Quebec.

30. A body of troops commanded by Arnold, was ordered to march to Canada, by the river Kennebeck, and thro the wil dernets. After fuffering every hardship, and the most distressing hunger, they arrived in Canada, and were joined by Gen eral Montgomery before Quebec. This city, which was com manded by Governor Carleton, was immediately befieged. But there being little hope of taking the town by a fiege, it was determined to form it.

31. The attack was made on the laft day of December, but proved unfuccefsful, and fatal to the brave general, who, with his aid, was killed in attempting to fcale the walls.

32. Of the three divifions which attacked the town, one only entered, and that was obliged to furrender to fuperior force. After this defeat, Arnold, who now commanded the troops continued fome months before Quebec, although his troops fuffered incredibly by cold and ficknels. But the next fpring the Americans were obliged to retreat from Canada.

33 About this time the large and flourishing town of Norfolk, in Virginia, was wantonly burat by order of Lord Dun more, the royal governor.

34. General Gage went to England in September, and was fucceeded in the command by general Howe.

35. Falmouth, a confiderable town in the province of Maine, in Maflachusetts, shared the fate of Norfolk; being laid in afhes by order of the British admiral.

36. The British king entered into treaties with fome of the German Princes for about feventeen thousand men, who were to be fent to America the next year, to afli in fubduing the colonies. The British parliament alfo paffed an act, forbid. ding all intercourfe with America; and while they repealed the Bofton port and fishery bills, they declared all American property on the high feas, forfeited to the captors.

37. This act induced Congrefs to change the mode of carrying on the war and measures were taked to annoy the en-, emy in Bolton. For this purpose batteries were opened on feveral hills, from whence hot end bombs were thrown into the town. But the batteries which were opened on Dorchef. ter point had the beft effect, and foon obliged General Howe to abandon the town. In March, 1776, the British troops

embarked for Halifax, and General Washington entered the town in triumph.

28. In the enfuing fummer, a fmall fquadron of fhips, com. manded by Sir Peter Parker, and a body of troops under the Generals Clinton and Cornwallis, attempted to take Charleston, the capital of South Carolina. The fhips made a violent attack npon the fort on Sullivan's Ifland, but were repulfed with great lofs, and the expedition was abandoned.

39. In July Congrefs publifhed their declaration of Indepen. dence, which forever feparated America from Great-Britain, This great event took place two hundred and eighty.four years after the firft difcovery of America by Columbus; one hundred and feventy from the firft effectual fettlement in Virginia; and one hundred and fifty-fix from the firft fettlement of Plymouth in Maffachufetts, which were the earliest English fettlements-in America.

40. Juft after this declaration, General Howe with a powerful force, arrived near New.York; and landed the troops upon Staten Island, General Washington was in New-York; with about thirteen thousand men, encamped either in the city or the neighboring fortifications.

41. The operations of the British began by the action on Long.Ifland, in the month of Auguft. The Americans were defeated, and General Sullivan and Lord Stirling, with a large hody of men, were made prifoners. The night after the en gagement, a retreat was ordered and executed with fuch filence, that the Americans left the island without alarming their ene mies, and without lofs.

42. In September the city of New-York was abandoned by the American army, and taken by the British.

43. In November, Fort Washington, on York.Island, was ta ken, and more than two thousand men made prifoners. Fort Lee, oppofite to Fort Washington on the Jerfey fhore, was foon after taken, but the garrifon efcaped.

44. About the fame time, General Clinton was fent with a body of troops to take poffeffion of Rhode-Inland; and fuc ceeded. In addition to all these loffes and defeats, the American army fuffered by defertion, and more by fickness, which was epidemic, and very mortal.

45. The northern army at Ticonderoga, was in a difagrees. ble fituation, particularly after the battle on Lake Champlain, in which the American force confifting of a few light veffels,

under the command of Arnold and General Waterbury, was totally difperfed.

46, But General Carleton, inftead of pursuing his victory, landed at Crown. Point, reconnoitered our pofts at Ticonder oga and Mount-Independence, and returned to winter-quar ters in Canada.

47. At the clofe of this year the American army was dwin. dled to a handful of men; and General Lee was taken prifon. er in New. Jerfey. Far from being difcouraged at thefe loffes, Congress took measures to raife and establish an army.

48. In this critical fituation, General Washington furprised and took a large body of Heffians, who were cantoned at Tren ton, and foon after another body of the British troops a Prince

ton.

49. The addrefs in planning and executing thefe enterprises, reflected the highest honor on the commander, and the fuccefs revived the difponding hopes of America. The lofs of General Mercer, a gallant officer at Princeton, was the prin cipal circumstance that allayed the joys of victory.

50. The following year (1777) was diftinguished by very memorable events in favor of America. On the opening of the campaign, Governor Tryon was fent with a body of troops to destroy the ftores at Danbury, in Connecticut. This plan was executed, and the town moftly burnt. The enemy fuf fered in their retreat, and the Americans loft General Woofter, a brave and experienced officer.

51. General Prefcot was taken from his quarters on Rhodes Land, by the addrefs and enterprife of Colonel Barton, and conveyed prifoner to the continent.

52. General Burgoyne, who commanded the northern British army, took poffeffion of Ticonderoga, which had been abandoned by the Americans. He pushed his fucceffes, croffed Lake George, and encamped on the banks of the Hudfon, near Saratoga.

53. His progrefs, however, was checked by the defeat of Colonel Baum, near Bennington, in which the undifciplined militia of Vermont, under General Stark, difplayed unexam. pled bravery, and captured almoft the whole detachment.

54. The militia affembled from all parts of New. England, to top the progrefs of General Burgoyne. Thefe, with the regular troops, formed a respectable army, commanded by Gen. eral Gates.

L

55. After two fevere actions, in which the Generals Lin coln and Arnold behaved with uncommon gallantry, and were wounded, General Burgoyne found himself enclosed with brave troops, and was forced to furrender his whole army, amount ing to ten thousand men, into the hands of the Americans, This happened in October.

56. This event diffufed a univerfal joy over America, and laid a foundation for a treaty with France.

56. But before thefe tranfactions, the main body of the Britifh forces had embarked at New-York, failed up the Chefapeak, and landed at the head of Elk-river. The army foon began their march for Philadelphia. General Washington had determined to oppofe them, and for this purpose made ftand upon the heights near Brandywine-creek.

58. Here the armies engaged, and the Americans were overpowered, and fuffered great lofs. The enemy foon purfued their march, and took poffeffion of Philadelphia towards the clofe of September.

59. Not long after the two armies were again engaged at Germantown, and in the beginning of the action the Americans had the advantage; but by fome unlucky accident, the fortune of the day was turned in favor of the British. Both fides fuffered confiderable loffes; on the fide of the Ameri cans, was general Nash.

60. In an attack upon the forts at Mud Island and Red Bank, the Heffians were unfuccefsful, and their commander, Colonel Donop, killed. The British alfo loft the Augufta, a fhip of the line. But the forts were afterwards taken, and the navigation of the Delaware opened. General Washing ton was reinforced, with part of the troops which had compofed the nothern army, under General Gates; and both armies retired to winter quarters.

61. In October, the fame month in which General Bur goyne was taken at Saratoga, General Vaughan, with a small fleet, failed up Hudson's river, and wantonly burnt Kingston a beautiful Dutch fettlement, on the weft fide of the river.

62. The beginning of the next year (1778) was diftin. guifhed by a treaty of alliance between France and America ; by which we obtained a powerful and genereus ally.

63. When the English miniftry were informed that this treaty was on foot, they difpatched commiffioners to America to attempt a reconciliation. But America would not .now ac.. pt their offers. Early in the spring, Count d'Estaing, with a

fleet of fifteen fail of the line, was fent by the court of France to affift America.

64. General Howe left the army and returned to England; the command then devolved upon fir Henry Clinton. In June the British army left Philadelphia, and marched for New-York.

65. On their march they were annoyed by the Americans ; and at Monmouth a very regular action took place between part of the armies; the enemy was repulfed with great lofs; and had General Lee obeyed his orders, a fignal victory mutt have been obtained. General Lee, for his ill conduct that day, was fufpended, and was never afterwards permitted to join the army.

66. In August, General Sullivan, with a large body of troops, attempted to take poffeffion of Rhode-Ifland, but did not fucceed. Soon after, the ftores and shipping at Bedford, in Maisachusetts, were burnt by a party of British troops. The fame year, Savannah, the capital of Georgia, was taken by the Brit ish, under the command of Colonel Campbell.

67. In the following year (1779) General Lincoln was appointed to the command of the fouthern army.

68, Governor Tryon and fir George Collier made an incur. fion into Connecticut, and burnt, with wanton barbarity, the towns of Fairfield and Norwalk.

69. But the American arms were crowned with fuccefs in a bold attack upon Stony-Point, which was furprised and taken by General Wayne, in the night of the 15th of July. Five hundred men were made prisoners, with a fmall lofs on either fide.

70. A party of British forces attempted this fummer to build a fort on Penobscot river, for the purpofe of cutting timber in the neighboring forefts. A plan was laid by Maffachusetts to diflodge them, and a confiderable fleet collected for that pur pofe. But the plan failed of fuccefs, and the whole marine force fell into the hands of the British, except fome veffels, which were burnt by the Americans themselves.

71. In October, General Lincoln and Count d'Estaing made an affault upon Savannah; but they were repulfed with confiderable lofs. In this action, the celebrated Polish count, Pu lafki, who had repuired the reputation of a brave foldier, was mortally wounded.

72. In this fummer, General Sullivan marched with a body of troops into the Indian country, and burnt and destroyed.all their provisions and fettlements that fell in their way.