A.D. 1780.] THE LEAGUE OF THE "ARMED NEUTRALITY.” given up to the English authorities, together with his ships. and the English ships of war-the Serapis and the Countess of Scarborough. This was declined, the States affirming that they could not assume to be judges of the legality or illegality of captures made by foreign vessels which sought shelter from storms in their ports; they could only require them to leave again, and, when at sea, the English could take them again as they had been taken. On this, Sir Joseph Yorke demanded again in explicit terms the stipulated succours, on the 26th of November, and received not only a positive refusal, but a fresh complaint of the interruption of their trade by the English men-of-war. Whilst affairs with Holland were in this position, count Florida Blanca, the Spanish minister, had adopted the system of seizing all neutral vessels, of whatever nation, that were found carrying British goods, and conveying them into Spanish ports as lawful prizes. This, as he calculated, raised the resentment of all the neutral powers-Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Prussia, Holland, and the trading states of Italy-who denounced these outrages on their flag. But Florida Blanca replied, that so long as England was suffered to pursue this system, Spain must continue to make reprisals; that it was, however, in the power of the neutral nations to combine and defend their flags, by compelling England to desist. The result was as he had hoped. Catherine of Russia, who had hitherto considered herself an ally of Englandwho had, at one time, contemplated furnishing soldiers to assist in reducing the American rebels, and who protested against the monstrosity of France encouraging the colonies of England to throw off their allegiance - was suddenly induced to change her tone. She had lately been greatly exasperated by the seizure, by the Spaniards, of two Russian trading vessels, which were carrying supplies to Gibraltar. She exclaimed, "My commerce is my child," and she was preparing retaliatory measures, when the news of a striking seizure of Dutch vessels by the English, on the 1st of January, 1780, reached her. - The affair was thus :-The Dutch admiral, count Byland, with two ships of the line and two frigates, was carrying a merchant fleet to the French ports with stores, but nominally to the Mediterranean. Commodore Fielding was dispatched with a squadron to intercept and examine this fleet, and he fell in with it a little to the westward of the Isle of Wight. Fielding sent out boats with crews, who demanded leave to search the merchantmen for any contraband stores. Admiral Byland refused, and fired on the boats. At this, Fielding fired a shot ahead of the Dutch admiral, and Byland replied by pouring a broadside into him. Fielding returned the salute with interest, on which Byland struck his colours. Fielding then seized six or seven of the trading vessels, the rest escaping through the darkness of the night, and getting safe into Brest. The vessels taken were found to be laden chiefly with naval and military stores. On this, Fielding signalled to the Dutch admiral that he might hoist his colours and proceed on his voyage with the ships of war; the merchantmen he should carry to Spithead. Byland hoisted his colours, and saluted the British flag, but declared that he could not proceed without the merchant vessels, and he followed Fielding into Spithead, and anchored alongside of him. 257 This seizure produced a violent remonstance from Holland; but the English government replied that, as the States not only refused to furnish the succours which they were bound by the most solemn engagements to supply, but assisted our enemies with warlike stores, they could not expect a continuance of our friendship; that Holland was pursuing not only a most ungrateful, but a most suicidal course; for that, if France could succeed in ruining Great Britain, the ruin of Holland would speedily follow. Thus the two countries continued in a state of naval warfare, though without open declaration of war. But the moment this news reached St. Petersburg, count Panin, the minister of Catherine, a man hostile to England, represented to the empress that, so long as this system continued, all trade would be at an end, and England would domineer over the commerce of the world; that nothing would prevent it but a league amongst all nations to protect neutral ships. Catherine was at once seized with the ambition of reducing our naval power, forgetting that it was by the friendship of England that she possessed a navy at all; and, on the 26th of February, she issued her famous proclamation, "that free ships should make free goods." This meant that all neutral nations should continue to carry all kinds of articles to powers at war with one another, without search or question, except such goods as were expressly specified in treaties. Sweden, Denmark, Prussia, France, and Spain, all readily entered into this league, which assumed the name of the Armed Neutrality," the object of which, though ostensibly to control all belligerent powers, was really to suppress the naval power of England. Holland loudly eulogised this league, but did not yet venture to join it; but prohibited the exportation of stores to our garrison in Gibraltar, whilst her ships were busy carrying supplies to the Spanish besiegers. Sir Joseph Yorke, therefore, on the 21st of March, informed the States that, unless the stipulated succours were furnished within three weeks, England would suspend, pro tempore, the regulations in favour of the Dutch commerce. The States still refused to furnish the succours, and at the specified time the privileges in question were suspended, though count Welderen still continued in London, and Sir Joseph Yorke at the Hague. It was evident that Holland could not long continue in this position, and Frederick of Prussia was soliciting Catherine of Russia to enter into an engagement to protect the Dutch commerce in every quarter of the globe. If Frederick could have prevailed, he would have stirred up a universal crusade against England; but Catherine was not rash enough for this quixotism. It appeared, however, as if all the nations of Europe were bent on uniting to pull down our long-envied ascendancy; and as if, while maintaining a most exhausting conflict with our own colonies in a distant part of the globe, we should be called on to do battle single-handed against the rest of the civilised world. So far, however, from the courage of England sinking under the prospect, it rose only the more, as it always has done under such circumstances. A more energetic spirit manifested itself, both in government and in people; and, had the same vigour been exhibited at the commencement of the American insurrection, not only would that have been promptly suppressed, but all those European complications prevented. We return now to the American campaign. Sir Henry Clinton, at the close of the year 1779, proceeded to carry into effect his plan of removing the war to the Southern States. The climate there favoured the project of a winter campaign, and, on the day after Christmas-day, Sir Henry embarked five thousand men on board the fleet of admiral Arbuthnot. But the weather at sea at this season proved very tempestuous, and his ships were driven about for seven weeks. Many of his transports were lost, some of them were taken Charlestown Neck, whilst Arbuthnot proceeded with his . ships up the Ashby River. It was the 1st of April before they could break ground before the city. All the forces which Clinton could muster, after collecting reinforcements by land, were seven thousand; whilst the Americans in the city were almost as many, though including a considerable body of militia. General Lincoln was in command of the American forces; and plenty of time having been allowed, he had, by the by the enemy; he lost nearly all the horses of the cavalry, assistance of French engineers, greatly strengthened the and artillery, and one vessel carrying the heavy ordnance foundered at sea. It was the 11th of February when he landed on St. John's Island, about thirty miles from Charlestown. He then proceeded to plan the investment of Charlestown with admiral Arbuthnot; but he was not on good terms with that officer, and this threw great impediments in the way of prompt action. It was the 29th of March before he could cross the Ashby River and land on defences. They had erected a chain of redoubts across the peninsula, from Cooper's River to Ashby River, and had built a strong citadel in the centre. All these, and other works, ditches, and abattis, were made formidable with cannon, and by numerous batteries, wherever the place could be approached by water. Besides these, there was a bar at the entrance of the harbour, over which large ships could not pass; and admiral Arbuthnot had to lighten A.D. 1780.] CAPTURE OF CHARLESTOWN. others, to get them over into what is called Five Fathom Hole. Inside this bar lay the American admiral, Whipple, with nine ships, with guns ranging from sixteen up to fortyfour. Close behind Whipple's squadron was Fort Moultrie, on Sullivan's Island, made much more formidable than in 1776, when it did so much execution on admiral Parker's squadron. Whipple retired as the English ships advanced, and eventually posted himself under the walls of Charlestown, sinking some ships across Cooper's River, without which precaution the English, on entering that river, would have raked the American lines. No sooner had Clinton completed his first parallel, and begun to plant his batteries, than Arbuthnot sailed boldly past Fort Moultrie, losing only twenty-seven men from its fire, and took his station as near to the town as the sunken ships would admit. 259 the town, and cut off Lincoln's supplies. Lord Cornwallis was sent to scour the country, and so completely did he effect this, that Lincoln was compelled to offer terms of surrender. These were considered too favourable to the Americans, and the siege continued till 11th of May, when the English were doing such damage to the town, and the inhabitants suffering so much, that they threatened to throw open the gates, if Lincoln did not surrender. In this dilemma, Lincoln offered to accept the terms proposed by Clinton before, and the English general assented to his proposal. On the 12th of May, the Americans grounded their arms, and marched out according to the terms settled, namely, that the regulars were to remain prisoners of war, the militia to return home as prisoners on parole. The number of prisoners amounted to upwards of six Sir Henry Clinton then summoned Lincoln to surrender; but he declared that he would defend the place to the last, and just at this moment he was further reinforced by seven hundred regular troops, under general Woodford. Clinton opened his batteries with destructive effect, and hearing that Lincoln had posted his cavalry outside his lines, to keep open his communication with the country, he sent that dashing officer, colonel Tarleton, with his horse, to dislodge them. On the night of April 14th, Tarleton came suddenly upon the American cavalry, at a place called Biggin's Bridge, and put them to the route, capturing all their baggage, stores, and several hundred horses, of which the English had great need. This success opened the passage of Cooper's River, and enabled Clinton completely to invest thousand, including one thousand American and French seamen. The governor, Rutledge, and a number of members of the council, had made their escape from the town whilst they could; but the deputy-governor, and the rest of the council, Lincoln, and six other generals, commodore Whipple, and his officers, with four hundred pieces of ordnance, &c., remained. The whole American squadron was taken or destroyed. Congress was dreadfully disappointed in expected reinforcements from the French fleet in the West Indies and the Spaniards in Florida; but both these nations were too busy, endeavouring to make conquests for themselves, to think about their allies. The Spaniards, during this time, made themselves masters of nearly the whole of Florida. The news of this blow, which laid the whole south open to the English, carried consternation maintain the ground obtained in South Carolina as well as throughout the states; and, arriving in England at the close of the Gordon riots, seemed to restore the spirits of the English. The town of Charlestown being now in his possession, Sir Henry Clinton proceeded to reduce the whole province to obedience. He issued proclamations, calling on the wellaffected young men to form themselves into military bodies, and to act in support of the king's troops, pledging himself that they should never be called upon to march beyond the frontiers of North Carolina on the one side, or those of Georgia on the other; and he assured the inhabitants at large of the utmost protection of person and property, so long as they continued peaceable and loyal subjects of the crown. In the meantime, lord Cornwallis continued to enforce these proposals by the movements of his troops. Hearing of a considerable body of Virginians, horse and foot, under colonel Buford, which had been on their way to relieve Charlestown, but were too late, and were encamped on the banks of the Santee, he dispatched the impetuous Tarleton, with a body of horse, to attack them. Tarleton accomplished a march of one hundred and five miles in fifty-four hours, and coming up with Buford's force on the borders of the province, summoned him to surrender on the same terms accepted by Lincoln at Charlestown. Buford refused; whereupon Tarleton fell upon him, and speedily put his whole detachment to the route. Buford fled headlong, with nearly all his cavalry; but the greater part of his infantry were cut to pieces, while Tarleton only lost five men, and had fifteen wounded. Buford, who had shown neither skill nor courage, complained loudly of Tarleton's unnecessary cruelty; but the fact was, that his whole species of warfare was of that guerilla and dare-devil kind, which is generally as bloody as it is decisive. This affair of Waxhaws prostrated the power of congress in South Carolina. Numbers of the people flocked in and took the oath of allegiance, whilst others enrolled themselves under the banner of the crown. A number of the chief inhabitants of Charlestown issued an address, declaring their abhorrence of the severities practised by governor Rutledge and his officers, and their never having wished to quit their allegiance to the crown of England, and their consequent joy in returning to it. Could Sir Henry Clinton have remained in this quarter, he would without doubt have steadily carried his victorious arms northward till he had everywhere restored the rule of England. But he was completely crippled by the wretched management of the miserable government at home, who seemed to expect to reconquer America without an army. At this crisis he received news that the Americans were mustering in strong force on the Hudson, and that a French fleet was daily expected on the coast of New England to co-operate with them. Had the government maintained a sufficient fleet on these coasts, no French fleet would have dared to have approached; had there been a sufficient army for the defence of New York, Sir Henry need not have proceeded thither, except by a steady victorious route by land. But with his miserable fragment of an army, and the absence of any proper naval force, he was now compelled to embark for New York, leaving lord Cornwallis to he could with a body of four thousand men. His second in command was lord Rawdon, a young officer who had distinguished himself greatly at the battle of Bunker's Hill, and who, like Cornwallis, his chief, was destined, in after years, to occupy the distinguished post of governor-general of India, with the successive titles of earl Moira and marquis of Hastings. The chief business of Cornwallis was to maintain the status gained in South Carolina, but he was at liberty to make a move into North Carolina if he thought it promising. Before Clinton left he issued a fresh proclamation, declaring all prisoners on parole in South Carolina free, except those taken at Charlestown or Fort Moultrie, or such as were in actual confinement. General Clinton embarked on the 5th of June for New York, and scarcely had he left when the royalists of North Carolina, in spite of his advice to them to remain quiet till lord Cornwallis could march to their support, which could not well be till autumn, in consequence of the heat of the climate, made confident by the success of Clinton in South Carolina, rose in considerable numbers in the month of June, and were speedily attacked and dispersed by the militia of the province. This imprudence of the royalists brought down the vengeance of the republicans upon them. They were everywhere attacked-in every part of North Carolina insulted, plundered, and imprisoned. Their sufferings were frightful. To escape from their furious and vindictive countrymen, eight hundred of them united under a colonel Bryan and managed to reach Camden, in South Carolina, but in a most pitiable condition. They were most of them men of property, but their property was confiscated; they had not seen their families for many months, and had been living in the woods in the most terrible destitution. They were kindly received, and united themselves to a detachment of British soldiers with the object of retaliating their injuries on their oppressors. Congress, alarmed at the progress of the English in South Carolina, had made extraordinary efforts to reinforce the republican party in North Carolina. They directed Washington to send thither a considerable part of his army, consisting chiefly of Maryland and Delaware troops, under the command of the German general, Von Kalb. On the fall of Charlestown, general Gates, who had acquired a high but spurious reputation upon the surrender of Burgoyne, chiefly through the able agency of Arnold, was sent to take the chief command over Von Kalb. In marching towards South Carolina, the American army suffered severely from the tropical heat of the climate and the scarcity of food. Gates led them through a country of alternating swamps and sandy deserts, called by the Americans pine-barrens. The troops lived chiefly on the lean cattle which they found scattered through the woods, on green Indian corn, and peaches, which were plentiful, being indigenous to the state of Louisiana. But great as the sufferings of the army were, the rumour of its approach produced a decided effect on the republicans of South Carolina. They showed themselves again boldly, and numbers of those who had taken service in the English army deserted, and were ready to throw themselves into the American ranks. Some of them went over with all the pettifogging cunning comprised under the A.D. 1780.] VICTORY OF CORNWALLIS AT CAMDEN. appellation of Yankee. One Lisle was prominent in this line. He had sworn allegiance, and had shown such zeal in favour of the royal cause, that he had been made an officer, and placed in command of a battalion of militia. This man took care to receive the clothes, arms, and ammunition for his force from the royal stores, and then marched off with it, and put himself under the command of the American colonel Sumpter, who was soon after twice defeated-once at Rocky Mount and once at Hanging Rock. Amongst other circumstances of this disgraceful kind, one of the most atrocious was the conduct of a colonel of militia, who was sent to escort some sick and wounded English soldiers to Charlestown, but who carried them into North Carolina, and gave them up to Von Kalb. Lord Rawdon, who was lying at Camden, where he had halted his men to protect them from the heat, was joined there by lord Cornwallis early in August. The entire force when united did not, however, exceed two thousand men, whilst the troops of Gates amounted to six thousand. The British general, notwithstanding, advanced briskly to meet the Americans, and on the evening of the 16th of August the two armies met rather unexpectedly, and some skirmishing took place, after which they halted in position till near daybreak in the morning. When the day appeared, Cornwallis saw that the ground he occupied was so favourable that it rendered his inferiority of numbers of little consequence. He therefore drew out his forces for immediate action. Swamps to the right and left narrowed the ground by which the Americans could approach him, and forming his troops into two lines, commanded by lord Rawdon and general Webster, he attacked the Americans under Gates and quickly put them to the rout. The Virginian militia ran most nimbly, and sought refuge in the woods. Gates himself galloped away, believing all was lost, and never halted till he reached Charlotte, about eighty miles off. The only men who fought well were two brigades of regulars under the command of the German, Von Kalb, who kept his ground against the troops of lord Rawdon for three-quarters of an hour, sustaining repeated charges of the bayonet unmoved; but Von Kalb fell mortally wounded, and the last of the Americans then gave way and fled for their lives in all directions. Tarleton with his cavalry was at their heels, and pursued them to Hanging Rock, upwards of twenty miles from the scene of action. The whole way was strewn with arms thrown away, with the dead and the wounded; not an officer was left with any of his company about him, except such as were taken prisoners and these, with the killed and wounded, amounted to more than the whole British army engaged. The whole of the baggage and artillery were taken as prizes. 261 half his little force behind him, when he came up with him near Catawba Ford, and fell upon his far superior force without a moment's hesitation, killing and wounding one hundred, and taking captive upwards of two hundred, with all Sumpter's baggage, artillery, and one thousand stand of arms. Cornwallis now announced to the royalists of North Carolina that he would soon send a force for their defence, and advanced to Charlotte. He next took measures for punishing those who, like Lisle, had pretended to re-accept the allegiance of England only to relapse into a double treachery. He declared that all such being taken should be treated as traitors, and hanged. These severe measures were carried into execution on some of the prisoners taken at Camden and Augusta, and others were shipped off to St. Augustine. This system was as impolitic as it was cruel, for the Americans were certain to adopt it in retaliation, as they did, with a frightful ferocity, when the royalists were overthrown in South Carolina, and avowedly on this ground. Lord Rawdon, following the example, wrote to his officers that he would give ten guineas for the head of any deserter from the volunteers of Ireland, and five only if brought in alive. One of these atrocious letters was intercepted, and published by the Americans, who were only too ready to plead it as a justification of worse brutalities. Lord Rawdon declared that such threats were only made to intimidate soldiers plotting to desert; but this is one of those threats which no civilised inen ought under any circumstances to utter. Scarcely had lord Cornwallis commenced his march into the interior of North Carolina, and scarcely had he dispatched major Ferguson with a corps of American royalists, to advance through the country towards the frontiers of Virginia, when this corps received another proof of the wisdom of lord Barrington's theory of keeping out of the woods and hills. Major Ferguson was attacked near the pass of King's Mountain by swarms of wild, rude riflemen, many of them mounted, from Virginia, Kentucky, and the Alleghanies, who shot down and exterminated major Ferguson's troops almost to a man, the major falling amongst the rest. The victors gave a prompt proof of their apt adoption of lord Cornwallis's teaching, by hanging ten of the prisoners. Lord Cornwallis was harassed by similar hordes of flying and creeping skirmishers, who, on being pursued, fled into the depths of the woods, and returned at fresh places like swarms of tropical flies. Hearing the news of the slaughter of Ferguson's force, he returned to Charlotte, retracing his march through most rainy weather, terrible roads, and almost totally destitute of provisions. Cornwallis fell ill on the road, and lord Rawdon had to assume the command. It was not till the 29th of October that the army resumed its The American congress, which had imagined Gates a original position near Camden; and general Leslie, who greater officer even than Washington, because he had had been also dispatched to co-operate with Cornwallis in captured Burgoyne through the ability of Arnold, though Virginia, was recalled, but was obliged to return by sea. Washington-from envy, as they supposed-had always held The only successes in this unfortunate expedition were a more correct opinion, now saw their error. No sooner obtained by the indefatigable Tarleton, who again dewas this victory at Camden achieved, than Cornwallis feated Sumpter, nearly killing that general. In the meandispatched Tarleton after general Sumpter, who was march-time, Gates had been superseded by Greene, who was ing on the other side of the Wateree on his way into South ordered to march against Cornwallis; but the season now Carolina. Tarleton started after him with a couple of checked the movements of both armies, and further prohundred of cavalry, and rode so sharply that he had left ceedings were deferred to the next year, |