fame time acquainting him, that his own wife and family, fhould be among the first to profit of the indulgence. After a delay of three hours, during which the time was filled up by the discharge of cannon and fhells, the request was not only refused, but the refufal was conveyed in unusual and infulting language, in a letter figned both by Lincoln and D'Eftaing. The attempts made afterwards by the French officers, to charge this harsh and cruel refufal, as well as the mode of it, to the brutality of the American general, are by no means fufficient to exculpate D'Estaing, from his full fhare in the tranfaction, and in the difgrace belonging to it; however it may ferve to fhew their confcioufnefs that the act was indefenfible.

Whatever D'Eftaing's merits may be as a naval commander, he seems to have committed two capital errors in this adventure by land. The first was, his not immediately attacking the British lines in their original weakness, and before General Prevoft was joined by Colonel Maitland. The reafons that may be used against this meafure are obvious, and may be anfwered with little difficulty.-The fecond was, that as he did lofe fo much time in carrying on reregular approaches against field works, he should have ftill continued to proceed by fap, until he had fo far obviated the defences of the enemy, that his troops might engage them upon fomething approaching to equal terms in the final affault. If to this it be oppofed, that his fleet of heavy capital fhips was expofed to great rifque and danger, by lying fo long without fhelter, upon an inhofpitable coaft, which could

not afford any, and in a moft critical feafon of the year; it may well be answered, that this very circumftance afforded the strongest motive for immediately attacking his enemy; and confequently could afford no reasonable caufe for delaying that attack, whilft the defenfive ftrength on the other fide was daily increasing.

Whatever motives operated upon the French commander in the first inftance, it feems as if his temper or patience failed him, in waiting the flow refult of fap in the fecond. It is poffible, that his approaches had already coft him more time than he expected; that the resistance was alfo much greater; that, as his batteries produced very little effect upon the British works, he was difappointed in that refpe& likewife; and that he finally placed, too great a confidence in the fuperiority of his force, and the goodness of his troops.

However that was, after a very heavy cannonade and bombardment for feveral hours, the allies attacked the British lines, Oct. 9th. with their utmoft force, and with great fury, a little before day-light. The firing began on the left of the British lines, but foon after became general. As it was ftill too dark to perceive the movements of the enemy, and uncertain where their principal. attacks would take place, no. change was made in the difpofition of the British troops; but each command waited coolly in its poft, prepared for, and expecting, whatever could happen.

The nature of the ground on both flanks of the lines, was fo favourable to the approaches of the enemy, that the defect could not be remedied by all the fkill [0].3

and

and endeavours of the engineer. Thus an attack was to be expected, towards either or both of the points. A fwampy hollow way on the right, might bring the enemy under cover to within a very fmall distance of f me of the principal works; on the left, the approach was not fo well covered; but the ground being firm and clear, feemed better calculated for the operation of regular troops, or at leaft more inviting to them, than that on the other fide. The French being likewife encamped on that fide, it was expected that they would direct their whole force to that point; and that the attack on the other, if really undertaken, would be left to the Americans.

The grand attack was, however, directed to the right, whither, D'Estaing in perfon led the flower of both armies, and was accompanied by all the principal officers of each. They advanced in three columns, under cover of the hollow we have mentioned; but it seems, that through the darkness, they took a greater circuit, and got deeper in the bog, than they needed or intended to have done; a circumftance, which befides a lofs of critical time, could fcarcely fail of producing fome difarrangement or diforder. The attack was, however, made with great fpirit, and fupported with an extraordinary degree of obftinate perfeverance. A redoubt on the Ebenezar road, was the fcene of much action, lofs and gallantry. It was obftinately defended by Captain Taws; the enemy planted two ftand of colours on it; the parapet was covered with their dead; at length the brave captain fell, gallantly fighting in his redoubt;

his fword being plunged, at the inftant of death, in the body of the third enemy whom he had flain with his own hand. His place was inftantly and equally fupplied by Captain Wickham; who, with better fortune, difplayed acts of the most signal valour.

While the conflict was ftill dubious and bloody, particularly at that redoubt, the skill and defign which operated in the construction of the new works, were displayed with great advantage. Three batteries which were occupied by seamen, took the enemy in almoft every direction; and made fuch havock in their ranks, as caused fome little diforder, or at least occafioned a pause in their violence. At that critical moment of decifion, a body of grenadiers and marines advanced suddenly from the lines, and charged the enemy with fuch rapidity and fury, throwing themfelves headlong into the ditches and works amongst them, that in an inftant, the redoubt, and a battery to its right, were totally cleared of them. The victors did not pursue their advantage with lefs vigour than they had gained it. The enemy were broken, routed, and driven in the greateft diforder and confufion, through the abbatis into the fwamp. The whole was performed with fuch rapidity, that three companies of the most active troops in the army, who were ordered to fultain the grenadiers, could not, with all their celerity, come in for any

fhare of the honour.

Although it was then day, yet the fog and the fmoke together caufed fo great a darknef, that the general could form no accurate judgment,

judgment, either as to the condition or the difpofitions of the enemy; and as a conftant firing was ftill heard in different parts of the lines, these circumstances, all together, prevented his venturing to purfue the enemy, in their flight and confufion across the morafs. They were, however, every where repulfed; bat as that was done elsewhere with lefs difficulty, fo their lofs was proportionally ímaller. As the day cleared, the works and ditches near the Ebenezar redoubt, prefented fuch a fpectacle of killed and wounded, as fome of the officers and foldiers faid, had only been equalled at Bunker's hill. At ten o'clock, the enemy requested a truce, with leave to bury the dead, and carry off the wounded; the firft was granted; but a reftriction laid in point of distance as to the reft.

The lofs of the enemy, in killed and wounded, was, by the loweft calculations, estimated from a thoufand to twelve hundred men. The French acknowledged 44 officers, and about 700 private men, on their fide only. The amount of the American lofs was not acknowledged. It was faid, that nothing but mutual reproach, and the most violent animolity, now took place between the new allies. Each accufed the other with bad conduct or bad performance, and being the author of his own particular lofs or difgrace. It was even faid, that the troops on both fides were with difficulty reftrained from proceeding to extremities; and that the French and American commanders and principal officers, were as little fatisfied with each other as the private men. It was likewife fuppofed, that a strong previous jea

loufy had fubfifted on the American fide, from D'Eftaing's fummoning the place to furrender to the arms of the French King only.

However these things might be, nothing was thought of after by either party, but the means of getting away, with the greateft poffible speed and fafety. But it was neceffary to mafk this purpose, by ftill fupporting the appearance of a blockade. The removal of the French heavy artillery, baggage, fick, and wounded, was particu larly a work of time, labour, and difficulty.. Great civilities now paffed between the French camp and the British lines; and numberlefs apologies were offered, for the refufal with respect to the women and children. They were now preffed to place themselves in the fituation which they had then requested; and a particular fhip of war and commander were named, for the reception of Mrs. Prevolt, her children, and company. The anfwer was blunt and foldierly; that what had been once refused, and that in terms of infult, could not in any circumftance be deemed worth the acceptance.

The celebrated Polifh Count Polafki, whofe name has been so often mentioned in the American war, was mortally wounded in this action. M. D'Estaing himself was forely wounded in two places. Major-General de Fontange, with fome other French officers of diftinction, were likewife wounded. The lofs on the British fide was inconceiveably fmall. Too much could not be faid in praise of every order of men who compofed the defence of the Savannah. The loyalifts of both the Carolinas were diftinguished; nor fhould it

be

be forgotten, that the Captains and failors of the transports took their ftation in the batteries, with the fame alacrity as their brethren in the royal fervice.

In fomething more than a week, upon the clearing up Oct. 18th. of a fog, it was dif

covered, that the French and Americans had abandoned their camps in the preceding night. Some purfuit was made, but it was foon found, that they had broken down all the bridges behind them, and purfued their respective routs with the greateft celerity. It was computed, that the French did

not lofe lefs in every way, than 1500 men on this adventure. Their commander found his fleet, as much out of heart and condition, and nearly as fickly as his army. He accordingly totally abandoned the coaft of America, about the ift of November, and proceeded with the greater part of his fleet directly to France; the reft having returned to the Weft-Indies. Such was the beginning and ending of M. D'Ef-> taing's American campaign; and fuch the iffue, of the great defigns he had formed, and the mighty hopes he had conceived.

CHRO