his little army in four divifions, of which two carried on falfe attacks against the upper town, whilft himself and Arnold conducted two real against oppofite parts of the lower. By this means the alarm was general in both towns, and might have difconcerted the most experienced troops; from the fide of the river St. Lawrence, along the fortified front, and round to the Bafon, every part feemed equally threatened, if not equally in danger. About five o'clock, Montgomery, at the head of the New York troops, advanced against the lower town, at Aunce de Mere, under Cape Diamond; but from fome difficulties which intervened in his approach, the fignal for engaging had been given, and the garrifon alarmed, before he could reach the place. He however preffed on in a narrow file, upon a fcanty path, with a precipice to the river on one fide, and an hanging rock over him; feized and paffed the firft barrier, and accompanied by a few of his braveft officers and men, marched boldly at the head of the detachment to attack the fecond. This barri'cade was much stronger than the firft. Several cannon were there planted, loaded with grape fhot. From thefe, as well as from a welldirected and fupported fire of mufquetry, an end was at once put to the hopes of this enterprizing officer, and to the fortune of his party în Canada. The General himfelf, with his Aid de Camp, fome other officers, and moft of thofe who were near his perfon, fell upon the fpot, The command devolved upon a Mr. Campbell, who immediately retired without any farther effort. Whether he yielded too easily to the firft impreffion, as the Americans afferted, it is im'poffible for thofe who are not perfectly acquainted with all the particulars to determine. In the mean time, Arnold, with a body of thofe troops who had originally fignalized themselves by the memorable expedition under his command into Canada, fupported by fome New-York artillery, made their attempt on that part of the town called the Saut at Matelot, and having penetrated through St. Roques, they attacked a fmall but well defended battery, which they carried with confiderable lofs, after an hour's sharp engagement. They had likewife the fortune upon this occafion to be left without a commander; for Arnold's leg being fhattered by a fhot, he was neceffarily carried off to the camp. His place was, however, well fupplied by the goodnefs of the officers, and the refolution of the men; who being ig norant of Montgomery's misfortune, were fo far from being dif pirited by their own, that they pushed on with great vigour, and made themfelves mafters of another barrier. The garrifon now being recovered from their furprize, and their hands cleared in all other quarters, had time to attend to the fituation of Arnold's divifion, and to perceive the opportunity which was offered of cutting them off. Their fituation was fuch, that in attempting a retreat, they muft pafs for a confiderable way within fifty yards of the walls, expofed to the whole fire of the garrifon. To render their fate inevitable, a confiderable detachment, with feveral field pieces, iffued through a gate which commanded that paffage, and attacked them furiously in the rear, whilft they were already fully occupied in every other part, by the troops which now poured upon them from all quarters. In thefe defperate circumftances, without a poffibility of escape, attacked on all fides, and under every difadvantage of ground as well as number, they obftinately defended themfelves for three hours, and at length furrendered prifoners of war. and few on either, whofe lofs would have been fo much regretted both in England and America. He is reprefented as a real and eager lover of liberty; and having married a lady, and purchased an eftate in New York, was from thence induced to confider himself as an American. Thus, fay his friends, he was led by principle, to quit the fweets of an eafy fortune, the enjoyment of a loved and philofophical rural life, with the higheft domeftic felicity, to take an active fhare in all the miferies and dangers of the prefent troubles. He had undoubtedly confiderable, and probably great, military abilities; and it remains to be lamented, that a man who feemed fo well formed to fupport the interefts and glory of his country against her natural foes, fhould have perished in an unnatural and most unhappy civil conteft. In America, he was revered as a martyr to the caufe of human nature, and the liberties of man The prifoners were treated with the greatest humanity by General Carleton; a conduct, which the habitual military feverity of his temper, rendered the more honourable. All enmity to Montgomery expired with his life, and refpect to his private character prevailed over all other confiderations; his dead body received every poffible mark of diftinction from the victors, and was interred in Quebec with all the military honours due to a brave foldier. It appears kind. What was more extraordiby comparing different circumftances previous and fubfequent to this engagement, that the rebels, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, did not lose fewer than half their number. A letter from Arnold, written foon after, states their remaining force at only 700 men. Thus fell Richard Montgomery, He was a gentleman of good family in the kingdom of Ireland, ferved with reputation in the late war, and fell in the prime of life. The excellency of his qualities and difpofition had procured him an uncommon fhare of private affection, as his abilities had of public elleem; and there was probably no man engaged on the fame fide, nary, the most powerful speakers in the British parliament difplayed their eloquence in praifing his virtues and lamenting his fate. A great orator, and veteran fellow foldier of his in the late war, fhed abundance of tears, whilft he expatiated on their faft friendship` and participation of fervice in that feafon of enterprize and glory, Even the minifter, extolled his virtues, whilft he condemned the rebellious cause they were employed in, and the fatal effects which their mistaken application had produced. The Governor and officers acquired great and deferved honour by this defence, and the behavi Qur our of the raw garrifon would have done credit to veterans. It afforded an inftance, how far the conduct and example of a few brave and experienced officers might operate, in rendering the raweft and worst formed troops refpectable. Indeed, the emulation arifing between the different orders of men which compofed the garrison, probably converted an apparent weak nefs into a real ftrength. The befiégers immediately quitted their camp, and retired about three miles from the city, where they strengthened their quarters in the best manner they were able, being apprehensive of a purfuit and attack from the garrifon. The latter, however, though now fuperior in number, were unfit for a fervice of that nature, and their able Governor, with a degree of wisdom and fobriety equal to his intrepidity and firmness, contented himself with the unexpected advantage and fecurity he had gained, without hazarding the fate of the province, and perhaps of America, in any rash enterprize. The city was now completely out of danger, and the great fuccours which were expected, could not fail to relieve the whole province. the beft of their officers, and the braveft of their fellows, with a part of their fmall artillery. The hope of affiftance was distant, and at beft, the arrival of fuccours must be flow. It was well known that the Canadians, befides being naturally quick and fickle in their refolutions, were peculiarly dif pofed to be biaffed by fuccefs, fo that their affiftance now grew extremely precarious. The feverity of a Canada winter, was also far beyond any thing they were acquainted with, and the fnow lay above four feet deep upon a level. In these circumftances, it required no fmall fhare of activity, as well as addrefs, to keep them in any manner together. Arnold, who had hitherto difplayed uncommon talents in his march into Canada, (which may be compared to the greatest things done in that kind) difcovered on this occafion the utmoft vigour of a determined mind, and a genius full of refources. Defeated and wounded as he was, he put his troops into fuch a fituation. as to keep them ftill formidable. He difpatched an exprefs to Woofter, who was at Montreal, to bring fuccours, and to affume the command; but as this could not be done immediately, he bore up with the force he had against the difficulties with which he was fur rounded. From that time, the fiege was for fome months converted into a blockade, and Ar nold found means effectually to obstruct the arrival of any fupplies of provifions or neceffaries in the town. CHAP. CHA P. II. Virginia. Provincial Congrefs. Powder removed from the magazine at Williamsburg. Confequences thereof. Affembly convened. Magazine rifled. Lord Dunmore retires on board a fhip of war. Various tranfactions between the Governor and the affembly. Report from the Committee of Enquiry. Refufal of the Governor to go on shore to pass the bills. Affembly will not attend him on board the Fowey, and put an end to their feffion. Convention of Delegates beld. Means used to arm the province. Declaration to justify their proceedings. Lord Dunmore repulfed in his attempt to destroy the town of Hampton. Proclamation for martial law, and the emancipation of the Negroes. Action near the Great Bridge. Connelly taken prisoner, and his scheme for raising the Indians and the Back Settlers, difcovered and fruftrated. Town of Norfolk reduced to afes by Lord Dunmore. Tranfactions in South and North Carolina. General Gage returns to England. Command of the army at Bofton devolves upon General Howe. Continental army before Befton enlift for a new term. Town of Falmouth cannonaded, and nearly deftroyed. paffed by the Affembly of Massachusets Bay, for granting letters of marque and reprisal. Articles of confederation propofed by the Continental Congrefs. Commercial refolution, fufpending in certain cafes the prohibition with refpect to exportation and importation. Declaration in answer to the royal proclamation of the 23d of August. D URING thefe proceedings in Canada, a long courfe of jealoufy, diftruit, fufpicion, and altercation, between the Governor, and the major part of the governed, in the colony of Virginia, finally terminated in open hoftility, and a ruinous, intestinal, and predatory war. These unhappy effects proceeded (as is too frequently the cafe) from a caufe apparently unimportant; but as the heat of controverfy nourished the quarrel, fo mutual diltrust and apprehenfion fupplied the place of an object. The people of that colony, as we have formerly fhewn, had been at least as forward as any other, in all the common acts, of fending Delegates to the General Congrefs, acceding to its decrees, under whatever form or title they were iffued, and in the inftituting of VOL. XIX. 1776. Law committees, and the entering into affociations, among themselves. They were alfo among the freest in expreffing their refolutions, and the readieft in fhewing their determination, to fupport, at all rifques and events, what they deemed, or termed, the rights of America. But in other relpects, the greatest order and quiet was preferved in the province; and notwithstanding the uneafinefs excited by the proregation or diffolution of their aflemblies, and the confequent expiration of their militia laws, (which, in a country where a great majority of the people are in a ftate of flavery, was a circumftance of the moft alarming, nature, and which might have been attended with the most fatal confequences) yet with thefe causes of complaint, the people feemed to pay a more [B] than than common degree of attention and perfonal regard, to the Earl of Dunmore, their Governor. In this ftate of things, however, the want of a legal affembly, feeming to give fome fanction to the holding of a convention, a Provincial Congrefs was affembled in the month of March, 1775, who immediately (under the cover of an old law of the year 1738, which they faid to be ftill effective) took measures for arraying the militia; but to fupply in fome degree those defects in that law, to remedy which, as they pretended, all fubfequent ones had been paffed, they recommended to each county to raise a volunteer company, for the better defence and protection of the country. This interference in the militia, probably alarmed the Governor, and feems to have been the caufe, that rendered the public magazine belonging to the colony in the capital city of Williamsburg, an object of his appreAp. 20, 1775. henfion. However that was, he foon afterwards employed the Captain of an armed veffel, which lay at a few miles diftance in James River, with a detachment of marines, to convey the powder, by night, from the magazine on board his fhip. Though this measure was conducted with great privacy, it was by fome means difcovered the enfaing morning, when the apparent fecrecy, and feeming myfterioufnefs of the act, increased the confternation and alarm among the inhabitants, who immediately affembled with fuch arms as they had at hand, with an intention of demanding, or, perhaps, obtaining, reftitution of the gun-powder, The Mayor and corporation, however, prevented their proceeding to any extremities, whilft they prefented an addrefs to the Governor, ftating the injury, reclaiming the powder as a matter of right, and fhewing the dangers to which they were peculiarly liable from the infurrection of their flaves; a calamity, which had for fome time been particularly apprehended, and which the removal of their only means of defence, would at any time have accelerated. His Lordship acknowledged, that the gun-powder had been removed by his order; faid, that as he had heard of an infurrection in a neighbouring county, and did not think it fecure in the magazine, he had it conveyed to a place of perfect fecurity; but gave his word, that whenever an infurrection rendered it neceffary, it fhould be immediately returned. He also faid, that it had been removed in the night to prevent giving an alarm; expreffed great furprize at the people's affembling in arms; and observed, that he could not think it prudent to put powder into their hands in fuch a fituation. Whatever fatisfaction this anfwer might have afforded to the magiftrates, they prevailed on the people to retire quietly to their houfes, without any remarkable outrage, that we can learn, having been committed; indeed it appeared, from depofitions afterwards taken by order of the affembly, that the officers of the men of war on that station, and particularly the gentleman who might be fuppofed to have rendered himself obnoxious by removing the pow der, appeared publicly in ftreets during the time of the the greatest 1 |