USA > North Carolina > The state records of North Carolina, Vol XV > Part 25
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I have the honour to be, &c., RAWDON.
15-19
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290
STATE RECORDS.
SIR HENRY CLINTON TO LORD GEORGE GERMAIN.
NEW YORK, October 30th, 1780.
MY LORD :
I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your Lordship's Original Dispatch marked No. 66, and Separate one of the 22d July ; also Duplicates of those marked 63, 64 and 65 of Your Secret and Separate Letters of the 4th July, with that of Your Private Letter of the 5th and Circular one of that Month, together with Two Original Letters, addressed to Vice Admiral Arbuth- not and myself, dated the 3d of August, by the Swift Packet, which arrived here on the 12th Instant.
I have the pleasure to acquaint Your Lordship that the Fleet from England, under Convoy of His Majesty's Ships Hyena and Adamant, with Recruits and Stores for this Army, arrived here safe, after a favorable passage, on the 15th Instant, and I have the honor to transmit Returns of the State and Number of Recruits received by this Opportunity.
Although I have received no Authentic Accounts from the Southward since Lord Cornwallis' Letter of the 29th of August, (a Copy of which I have the honor to transmit,) yet I think it my duty to send to Your Lordship some Extracts from Rebel News Papers lately received, without giving any opinion upon them, except the improbability of anything very important having hap- pened in that Quarter, as it appears from that Letter that his Lord- ship did not seem inclined to make any such Detachment from his Army without supporting it. Should Major Ferguson, however, have met with a little Cheque, I hope it will not be productive of any very bad consequences, as I trust his Lordship's Abilities will soon recover it, to which the Expedition under Major General Leslie may in some degree contribute. A Copy of my Instruc- tions to that General Officer I have already had the honor of Communicating to your Lordship. Major General Leslie sailed from hence on the 16th, and I understand was seen entering the Chesapeake on the 18th with a fair wind, so that he would prob- ably be on James River on the 20th, and consequently interrupt Mr. Gates' Communication with Virginia, and, I hope, strike at
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his grand Depot at Petersburg soon after. Should General Les- lie be so fortunate to succeed, it may be presumed Mr. Gates will be prevented from pursuing offensive Operations, but should he already have received Supplies to enable him to make a Move with the Army he shall have collected, I am persuaded Lord Corn- wallis, with the assistance of the Co-operating Corps under Major General Leslie, which I have given entirely to his Lordship's Orders, will pursue such Measures as may oblige Mr. Gates to retire from those Provinces. Lord Cornwallis was informed by me, previous to General Leslie's sailing upon this Expedition, of that General Officer's being to act from his Lordship's Orders, and I sent him at the same time a Copy of my Instructions to General Leslie.
By the Present opportunity I have the honor to transmit to Your Lordship some Original Dispatches which were lately inter- septed in a Rebel Mail we were lucky enough to take entire, and contain matters of no small importance. The Letters now sent appear to be such as are of the most consequence ; those that are less so shall be transmitted to Your Lordship by the next opportunity.
I shall in a few days send to Charles-Town all the Recruits belonging to the Southern Army, and then, including the Corps under General Leslie, Lord Cornwallis will have full 11,306 Effec- tive rank and file under his Orders. Washington has not as yet detached a single Man to the Southward, and by all Accounts from General Arnold, Gates cannot have above 800 Continental Troops with him.
General Washington still remains at or near Tappan, with a Corps of 11,400 Men under his immediate Orders. The French have not moved from Rhode Island, but are adding Fortifications to that Place. Admiral Arbuthnot is Watching Monsr Ternay. While we remain superior at Sea, and can Command the Sound of Long Island, I do not think the Enemy will attempt anything against us ; but should they get the Command of the Sound, Your Lordship must be sensible that my present Force is very inade- quate to that which can be brought against me.
Major Harnage, of the 62d Regiment, will have the honor of delivering my Dispatches. This Officer's Services with the
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Northern Army will, I doubt not, insure him Your Lordship's favor and Protection.
I have the honor to be, With the greatest Respect,
Your Lordship's Most obedient and Most humble Servant,
H. CLINTON.
P. S. I must observe to Your Lordship that in the Effectives that I have stated as under the Orders of Earl Cornwallis the Sick are included, and I am afraid their Numbers are not incon- siderable. H. C.
Right Honorable Lord George Germain.
LORD RAWDON TO SIR HENRY CLINTON.
CAMP BETWEEN BROAD RIVER & THE CATAWBA, - SOUTH CAROLINA, Octr. 31st, 1780. 5
SIR :
By Lord Cornwallis's directions I had the Honor of writing to your Excellency on the 29th Instant, detailing to your Excellency the circumstances which had obliged Lord Cornwallis to relin- quish the attempt of penetrating to Hillsborough, and enclosing the Copy of a Letter which his Lordship made me write to Major General Leslie upon that occasion.
On further consideration, His Lordship reflecting upon the difficulties of a defensive war, & the hopes which your Excellency would probably build of our success in this quarter, has thought it advisable not ouly to recommend more strongly to Major General Leslie a plan which may enable us to take an active part, but even to make it his request, in case it should not be incompatible with your Excellency's further arrangements.
Lord Cornwallis is particularly induced to invite Major General Leslie to co-operation in Cape Fear river by the supposition that your Excellency may not want these troops during the winter ; and they may join your Excellency in the Spring, scarcely later than should they on the approach of that Season sail from any part of the Chesapeake Bay.
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A further motive proceeds from the little prospect that the Expedition on its original plan should compass any service adequate to its force & to your Excellency's expectations. However, as views might subsist which were not explained to Lord Cornwallis, His Lordship has not ventured absolutely to order the descent in Cape Fear River ; And the enclosed Copy of the second Letter written to Major General Leslie will satisfy yonr Excellency upon what terms the measure has been pressed.
I have the Honor to be, Sir, with the highest respect,
Your Excellency's Most Obedt. & most humble Servt.,
RAWDON.
H. E. Sir H. Clinton, K. B., Commander-in-Chief, &c., &c., &c.
SIR HENRY CLINTON TO MAJ. GENL. LESLIE.
NEW YORK, 2d November, 1780.
SIR :
Having already put you under the orders of Lord Cornwallis, who must, of course, be the best judge of Operations to the South- ward, it may be needless to say anything more. But lest you should not receive any orders from His Lordship, or obtain certain intelligence relative to him, or have reason to Suppose you can better assist his Operations by a diversion made nearer him, I think it necessary to give you some hints respecting Cape Fear River, and how far the acting upon that River will Operate. Should Lord Cornwallis have passed the Yadkin, and be advanced towards Hillsborough, I think you cannot act anywhere so well as on James River, approaching sometimes towards the Roanoke, but not passing that River without orders from Lord Cornwallis. If you have every reason to believe that his Lordship meets with Opposition at his passage of the Yadkin, I think a Move on Cape Fear River will operate effectually. I have had much conversa- tion with General O'Hara on this subject. I have given him every Information respecting that Move, and I trust, after con- sulting him, you will act in the best manner possible to fulfill the object of all your Instructions, a Diversion in favour of Lord
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Cornwallis. That you may be the better judge of his plan, I send you Copies of such of his Letters which give any hints towards it.
Should you determine to quit Chesapeak you will apply to the Officer commanding in the Naval Line, to whom Sir George Rod- ney intends giving corresponding Instructions. As you will meet, of course, in Cape Fear River a considerable number of Gallies, Armed Vessels, &c., I wish, in case you quit Chesapeak, that all those now with you may be sent back to ns. You will, of course, cautiously avoid inrolling any of the Militia of Princess Ann or elsewhere, without you determine to Establish a Post. Those, however, who voluntarily join you must be taken care of.
I have the honor to be, &c., &c.,
H. CLINTON.
Honble. Major General Leslie.
SIR HENRY CLINTON TO EARL CORNWALLIS.
(Extract.)
NEW YORK, November 6, 1780.
Your Lordship can judge of the strength of this part of the army by that under your own orders, and will agree with me that it is scarcely possible for me to detach a greater force from it, or of our being able to make such efforts in Chesapeak Bay as have now almost become necessary. However, when I know your Lordship's success in North Carolina and your determination respecting a post on Elizabeth River, I will then consider what additional force I can spare. If your Lordship determines to with- draw that post I shall in that case think your present force, includ- ing General Leslie's, quite sufficient.
By the copy of instructions last sent, and those now forwarded to General Leslie, your Lordship will perceive I mean that you should take the command of the whole. If my wishes are ful- filled, they are that you may Establish a post at Hillsborough, feed it from Cross Creek, and be able to keep that of Portsmouth. A few troops will do it, and carry on desultory expeditions in
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Chesapeak till more solid operations can take place, of which I fear there is no prospect, without we are considerably reinforced. The moment I know your Lordship's determination to keep a post at Portsmouth I will, as I said before, consider what addi- tional force I can spare. Once assured of our remaining supe- rior at sea, I might possibly send two thousand more for this win- ter's operations.
Operations in Chesapeak are but of two sorts : Solid operation, with a fighting army, to call forth our friends and support them, or a post, such as Portsmouth, carrying on desultory expeditions, stopping up in a great measure the Chesapeak, and, by com- manding James River, prevent the enemy from forming any considerable depots upon it or moving in any force to the south- ward of it. Such, my Lord, are the advantages I expect from a station at Portsmouth, and I wish it may appear to you in the same light.
LORD GEORGE GERMAIN TO EARL CORNWALLIS.
WHITEHALL, 9th Novr., 1780.
Earl Corn wallis.
MY LORD :
I had the very great pleasure to receive from Captain Ross, who arrived in London on the 9th of last Month, your Lordship's dispatches Ns. 1. and 2., which I immediately laid before the King, who read with the highest satisfaction the Account contained in the latter of the very glorious and complete Victory obtained by your Lordship over the rebels near Camden on the 16th of Aug- ust.
The great Superiority of the Enemy in Numbers over the Forces under your Command, His Majesty observed, distinguished this Victory from all that have been achieved since the Commence- ment of the Rebellion ; and though it might have been expected that the long continuance of the War would have increased the Military Skill and Discipline of the Enemy, your Lordship's com- plete Success is a brilliant Testimony that the Spirit and Intre- pidity of the King's Troops will always triumph over them, and
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STATE RECORDS.
that however they may exceed in Numbers, the Vigor and Perse- verance of the British Soldiers will overcome all Resistance, when led on by an able and determined Commander, seconded by gal- lant and judicious Officers. It is therefore particularly pleasing to me to obey His Majesty's Commands by signifying to your Lordship His Royal Pleasure, that you do acquaint the Officers and Soldiers of the brave Army under your Command that their Behaviour npon that glorious day is highly approved by their Sov- ereign, and you will partienlarly express to Lord Rawdon, Lieu- tenant Colonels Webster and Tarleton, His Majesty's Approbation of their judicious and spirited Condnet. The latter indeed has a double Claim to Praise for his great Alertness in overtaking Gen- eral Sumpter's detachment before they were apprized of Gates' defeat and by their destruction rendering the Victory at Camden still more decisive. Captain Ross's Services have been rewarded, in consequence of your Lordship's Recommendation, with a Brevet of Major, but you will perceive by the inclosed Copy of Lord Amherst's Letter to me that it is not judged fit at present to give Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton the same Rank in the Army which he holds in the Provincials.
The steps your Lordship immediately took for improving your Victory were highly judieions, and must be attended with the most important Consequences ; nor was your determination to inflict exemplary punishment on those Traitors who had repeated the Violation of their Oaths of Allegiance, or broken their Parole and taken Arms against the King, less wise or promotive of the great Object of the War, the Restoration of the Constitution ; for the most disaffected will now be convinced that We are not afraid to punish, and will no longer venture to repeat their Crimes in the hope of Impunity should they be detected, and those who are more moderate will be led to withdraw from a Canse which is evidently declining before it becomes desperate, and they expose themselves to the Consequences they may reasonably apprehend will fall upon such as persist in Rebellion to the last.
The Civil Regulations you have made for South Carolina, as far as I am informed of them by your Lordship and Mr. Simpson, appear extremely prudent and proper, and I am glad to find they are satisfactory to the Merchants here who are deeply connected with that Province. Such of the Civil Officers as are in England
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have received Orders to return, and the greatest Part will sail with the first Convoy. As the Province is not yet restored to Peace, it is not judged proper to appoint a Governor, but as the Lieut. Govr. is going out he can exercise all the functions of a Governor in Chief in Consequence of His Majesty's Commission to Lord William Campbell, which devolves to him ; and as it is the King's wish to convince the People of America that no Abridgement of their former Liberties is intended, but that they will be restored to all the Privileges of their former Constitution, the Exercise of such Powers as it may be fitting to allow the Civil Authority to possess, in the present Situation of Affairs, being in the Hands of the Constitutional Officers of the Province, must have a good effect. Your Lordship will, therefore, endeavor to throw the Condnet of Civil Matters into their former Channels, as far as you shall judge expedient to permit the Civil Officer to act. I impa- tiently expect to hear of your further Progress, and that Sir Henry Clinton and Vice-Admiral Arbuthnot have found Means of Send- ing a Force into the Chesapeak to co-operate with you ; for if that de done I have not the least doubt, from your Lordship's vigor- ous and alert Movements, the whole Country South of the Dela- ware will be restored to the King's Obedience in the Course of the Campaign.
I understand the Congress evade an Exchange of the Conven- tion Troops with the Garrison of Charles Town, under the Pre- tence that the Time of Service of the greatest Part of it will expire in a little Time, and the Men will then be no longer Soldiers, and not entitled to be considered as Prisoners of War ; and as the Expense of maintaining these People is enormous, some Means must be found of relieving the Public from it, and counteracting the Chicane of that faithless Body.
What appears to me the most practical Measures for these Purposes are the inducing the Prisoners to enter on board the Ships of War or Privateers, or to go as Recruits to the Regiments in the West Indies, or as Volunteers to serve upon the Expedition against the Spanish Settlements from Jamaica ; and Your Lord- ship will, therefore, take the proper Steps for disposing of as many of them as possible in these several Ways, or in such others as may occur to you as more practicable & effectual.
I am, &c., GEO. GERMAIN.
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STATE RECORDS.
SIR HENRY CLINTON TO MAJOR GENERAL LESLIE.
NEW YORK, November 12, 1780.
SIR :
I have this morning received your dispatches, and by that dated the 7th instant I observe your intention of quitting the Chesapeak, and at the requisition of Lord Cornwallis, made to you in a letter written by Lord Rawdon, that you propose going to Cape Fear River with the force under your command. I entirely approve of you having obeyed Earl Cornwallis's directions and desire on this subject, which I hope will be attended with every favourable advantage.
It is not necessary for me to enter upon the matter of your operations in the Chesapeak, as they will now cease.
I have the honour, &c.,
H. CLINTON.
LORD CORNWALLIS TO MAJOR GENERAL LESLIE.
No. 107.
CAMP AT WYNNSBOROUGH, BETWEEN BROAD RIVER & WATEREE, 12th Novr., 1780. 5
DR. SIR :
You will, I hope, have received some Letters written by Lord Rawdon during my Illness. I am now perfectly recovered and almost as strong as ever. Had I attempted to penetrate into the further part of N. Carolina, my small Army wou'd have been exposed to the utmost Hazard, and it won'd have been as impos- sible to have co-operated with yon in the Chesapeak as with Sir Henry Clinton at N. York. If you come to Cape Fear, of which at present I have little doubt, by the help of Gallies and small Craft which will be sent from Charlestown you will easily secure a Water Conveyance for your Stores up to Cross Creek. I will,
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on hearing of your Arrival in Cape Fear River, instantly march with everything that can be safely spared from this Province, which I am sorry to say is most exceedingly disaffected, to join you at Cross Creek. We will then give our Friends in N. Caro- lina a fair Trial. If they behave like Men it may be of the greatest Advantage to the Affairs of Britain. If they are as dastardly & pusillanimous as our Friends to the Southward, we must leave them to their Fate & secure what they have got. If you find it difficult, from contrary Winds, to get into Cape Fear,. the Entrance of which is not easy to Vessels coming from the Northward by the projection of the Frying Pan Shoal, it will be very little out of your way to look into Charles Town; And perhaps, tho' not probably, Balfour may give you the 64th instead of some of the Corps d'Elite which you have brought with you. At any rate we may settle our Operations more fully, & you may enter Cape Fear River with every Assistance that can be procured from them. All the Men of War with yon, except the Romulus, can go into Cape Fear if wanted, but I believe that will not be the Case, and the Sandwich will be of more nse than any of them. I can only say that I most impatiently long for the day of meeting with You.
I cannot help mentioning a Thing which has given me the. greatest Concern. Some of my Letters from the North ward have made me suspect that you thought that your Removal from Caro- lina was owing to an Application to me. I most solemnly declare- upon my honor that nothing can be more false. When I came to Town after the Surrender Sir Henry mentioned my going with him to the Northward. I said that I was ready to serve where- ever he thought fit to employ me, & had no Objection to remain in Carolina if he thought my Services conld be useful in that Province. He said something Civil about Climate. He then wished me to take this Command. However painful & distress- ing my Situation has been, & however dark the Prospect there was, it cannot be supposed that, as a Military Man, I shon'd not rather chuse to command to the Southward than be third at New York. But so far from expressing a Desire to have any other Officer remain with me in preference to you, I shou'd have wished for you in preference to all others ; But I did not presume to interfere in any Degree with Sir Henry's Arrangements, nor did.
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I say more, or express myself stronger on the Subject of my own saying, than I have described in this Letter. I shall therefore hope that we shall meet with the same Cordiality, & continue on the same footing of Friendship, which has hitherto subsisted between us, & that you will believe me to be, &c.,
CORNWALLIS.
Honble. Major Gen. Leslie.
MAJOR GENL. LESLIE TO SIR HENRY CLINTON.
ON BOARD THE ROMULL'S, HAMPTON ROAD, 19th November, 1780.
SIR :
I have the honour to send your Excellency Duplicates of three Letters sent by Lieutenant Salisbury, of this ship, the Sth Instant, which I hope came to hand.
I told you in that of the 8th that in consequence of Lord Raw- don's Letter (the Original I now send you, a Copy went by Mr. Salisbury) that I had determined to reinforce Lord Cornwallis as soon as possible with the whole of my Command. Part of the Troops embarked the 11th; I then fixed ou a Garrison to continne at Portsmouth as a Blind. The 15th I had all on board except 500 Men to Protect the Depy. Commy. General's Vessel that got on ground at high Water, but by Exertion she was afloat at two in the Morning, and the rear Guard embarked. The Wind then came favorable, and continued to bring us all into this Road. Our Anchor was no sooner down than a hard Gale of Wind came on at N. W., and continued that Night and the following day. Had we met it in Elizabeth River most of the Ships would have got entangled or aground, and might have been insulted by the Enemy; but not a Shot has been fired, so they can't say we are drove from their Shore.
(The last twenty-four hours was an unpleasant time, for until then the Refugees & followers of the Army were ignorant of my design to Evacuate the Place; however, there was a necessity for it, & no time was lossed.)
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STATE RECORDS.
The Enemy are in some force at McKay's Mills under a Gen- eral Mulenburg ; its between Suffolk & Smithfield, a strong Situa- tion. When the Letter from Lord Rawdon arrived I was meditat- ing to get round him by landing in two Divisions, the one in Nansemond River, the other in Wt. Bay. This would have created a delay of some days, which I thought too precious to throw away on Mr. Mulenburg.
As to Naval Matters, I refer your Excellency to Commodore Gayton's Letters. He has been most attentive and active on every occasion.
The people in general seem sorry at our leaving this District, and I believe would have been happy to have remained quiet at home; it is a plentiful Country all round our Posts. From my first hearing of Ferguson's fate, I inwardly suspected what came to pass ; therefore I never issued any Proclamation of my Own, nor did I encourage the People to take Arms. Many blamed me for it, but now they think I acted right.
I left the Works entire, and I still hope you will be enabled to take up this ground, for it certainly is the Key to the Wealth of Virginia & Maryland. It is to be lamented we are so weak in Ships of War, for there's a Fleet of Sixty Sail expected hourly from the West Indies, besides the valuable Ships or Craft ready to Sail from the Chesapeake.
Had we gone np the River we should have benefited as Indi- viduals, loaded with Plunder & Tobacco, but I am confident we should have lost some of our large Ships, for they get aground on every Move, even the King's Ships, who never want for Pilots.
One of my People sent to Ld. Cornwallis fell into the hands of the Enemy. They made him drunk, and then produced my Slip of Paper. You will see it in their Papers, I imagine ; it contained nothing of Consequence. Since my last I am happy to inform Your Excellency of the good behaviour of the Troops, and I must say from the first being on Shore there has not been a Complaint of a single Hessian ; it is a most respectable Corps.
You will observe from the Returns that the Provincial Troops lose Men by Desertion ; most of those gone are Recruits from the Enemy. They give now for Militia Men to serve till 1782 as Substitutes from 4,000 to 6,000 Pound this Currency, and the
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Dollar about One half-penny Sterling, which may be the reason of those fellows leaving us.
The People in general seem tired of the War, and wish for their former Ease and Comforts. Indeed, as far as the Troops went, the Men in general were at home, Except the very violent and those gone as Militia Men. The better Sort in this Province are deep in debt to the Merchants in England, and of course violent to a degree.
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