were hastily thrown up, extending from the deep inlets of Wallabout Bay, on the north, to Gowanus Cove, on the south; and nine thousand men, under General Sullivan, were encamped at Brooklyn. About two miles and a half in front of the entrenchments and redoubts, was a range of densely wooded heights, extending from south-west to north-east, forming a natural barrier across the island. It was crossed by three roads; one on the left, eastwardly towards Bedford, and thence by a pass through to Bedford Hills, to the village of Jamaica; another, central and direct, to Flatbush; and a third, on the right of the lines, by Gowanus Cove, to the Narrows and Gravesend Bay. Most unfortunately, General Greene was seized with a violent fever about the middle of August, and the command devolved on General Putnam, whose want of thorough knowledge of the ground, led to the Jamaica road being left without sufficient protection, and most unhappily afforded the British commander an opportunity of assaulting the Americans in front and rear at the same time. In the confusion and want of discipline which prevailed, the orders to watch and guard the passes were imperfectly obeyed; and, as Washington apprehended, the chances of success were greatly in favor of the enemy.

The British force, ten thousand strong, with forty cannons, landed on Long Island, on the 26th of August, and made their arrangements for a vigorous assault. Opposite the middle of the heights was General De Heister, with the centre, composed of Hessians; the

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left wing, under General Grant, prepared to attack by the lower road; while General Clinton, supported by Earl Percy and General Cornwallis, was to advance at the head of the right wing towards the unprotected Jamaica road, with the purpose of turning the American left, placing them between two fires, and cutting off their retreat to the camp. This skillful plan of operations was, unhappily for the Americans, successfully carried out. About nine o'clock, on the evening of the 26th, Clinton's division, guided by a Long Island Tory, passed the narrow causeway over a marsh, near the village of New Lots, called Shoemaker's Bridge,

where, it is said, a single regiment might have prevented the advance of the entire British force, and, ascertaining by a patrol which was captured, that the Jamaica road was unguarded, hastened to seize the pass, and before daylight, was in possession of that and the Bedford pass, General Sullivan, meanwhile, being ignorant that Clinton had left Flatlands.

General Grant-the same braggart, who, in the House of Commons, had declared that the Americans "could not fight" on his part, advanced at midnight along the lower road, and thus came into direct contact with the troops under Lord Stirling; while at daybreak, De Heister assaulted the American force, posted under Colonel Hand, upon the crest of the hills. One of the ships, meanwhile, kept thundering away at the fort at Red Hook. The object of the English was to draw the attention of their enemy from what was passing on their left, but no sooner

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were they aware, by the signal guns of Clinton, that he was prepared to act on the offensive, than they advanced quickly to the attack, forced the passages without serious difficulty, and gradually entrapped the Americans in the snare laid for them.

Clinton, marching rapidly through Bedford, threw himself upon the left flank of the American troops, who, driven backward and forward between a double fire, were, the greater part of them, taken prisoners. "Hemmed in and entrapped between the British and Hessians, and driven from one to the other, the Americans fought, for a time, bravely, or rather, desperately. Some were cut down and trampled by the cavalry; others bayonneted without mercy by the Hessians. Some rallied in groups, and made a brief stand with their rifles from rocks, or behind trees. The whole pass was a scene of carnage, resounding with the clash of arms, the tramp of horses, the volleying of firearms, and the cries of the combatants, with now and then the dreary braying of the trumpet." Some of the Americans, by a desperate effort, cut their way through the host of foes, and effected a retreat to the lines, fighting as they went; others took such refuge as they could find in the fastnesses of the hills; but, as we have said above, the greater part were killed or taken prisoners, General Sullivan being among the latter.

The corps under Stirling maintained a steady front against the force commanded by Grant, who waited the signal of Clinton's cannon, to push the attack. Sensible of his danger, Stir

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ling attempted to retreat to the camp, but, met by Cornwallis and his grenadiers, he was unable to accomplish his purpose. A desperate fight ensued; more than two hundred and fifty men perished in the deadly struggle; a part of the corps effected a retreat across the Gowanus Creek; but Lord Stirling was made prisoner. Washington, who had witnessed the attack from a hill within the lines, wrung his hands in agony at the sight. "Good God!" cried he, "what brave fellows I must this day lose!"

The victory of the British was complete. Their loss was about four hundred men; while the Americans lost, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, not much short of two thousand men. * Washington expected that the enemy would storm the works directly, and had they done so, probably the result would have been disastrous; but the British commander, restraining the ardor of his men, and encamping in front of the American lines, made preparations for regular approaches. Whether General Howe dreaded the result of thus attacking a desperate foe, or supposed that with the co-operation of the ships the enemy could not escape him, he preferred the course he had determined upon, and began immediately to open trenches. The rain poured incessantly for two days, and the Americans were exposed to it unsheltered. Had the English ships advanced up the East River, and stationed themselves

* Marshall discusses at length, and very ably, the question as to the expediency of Washington's attempting to defend Long Island. See "Life of Washington," vol. i, pp. 92-94.

between Brooklyn and New York, nothing, probably, could have saved the camp; but a strong north-east wind had hitherto prevented them from doing so. Every moment was precious, since a sudden shift of wind would cut off the possibility of escape. It was known besides, that Clinton was threatening to send part of his army across the Sound, thus menacing New York. Washington called a council of war, at which it was resolved to retreat with the troops at once. The hour of eight The hour of eight in the evening of the 29th of August was fixed upon for the embarkation. Every thing had been prepared, and the troops were ready to march down, but the force of the wind and ebb tide delayed them for some hours, and seemed as if it would entirely frustrate the enterprise. The enemy, toiling hard at the approaches, were now so near, that the blows of their pickaxes and instruments could be distinctly heard, while the noise of these operations deadened all sound of the American movements, which were carried on in the deepest silence. About two in the morning, a thick fog settling over Long Island prevented all sight of what was going on, and the wind shifting round to the south-west, the soldiers entered the boats, and were rapidly transferred to the opposite shore. So complete were the arrangements, that almost all the artillery, with the provisions, horses, wagons, and ammunition, safely crossed over to New York. Washington, who for forty-eight hours had hardly been off his horse, and never closed his eyes, though repeatedly entreated, refused to enter a boat

until all the troops were embarked, and crossed the river in the last boat of all.*

Washington, leaving a considerable force in the city of New York, encamped with the main body on Harlem Heights, at the northern end of the Island; he was also prepared to retreat into Westchester county, if need be. The British had entire possession of Long Island; the ships of war anchored within cannon-shot of the city; and Howe was gradually making his arrangements to pursue the dispirited and defeated American troops.

It was under no ordinary suffering of mind that the commander-in-chief addressed the President of Congress on the 2d of September: "Our situation is truly distressing. The check our detachment sustained on the 27th ultimo, has dispirited too great a proportion of our troops, and filled their minds with apprehension and despair. The militia, instead of calling forth their utmost efforts to a brave and manly opposition, in order to repair our losses, are dismayed, intractable, and impatient to return. Great numbers of them have gone off; in some instances, almost by whole regiments, by half ones, and by companies at a time. This circumstance of itself, independent of others, when fronted by a well-appointed enemy, superior in number to our whole collected force, would be sufficiently disagreeable; but, when their example

* Mr. Irving gives a graphic account of the Long Island tradition respecting the manner in which the

news of the retreat of Washington and his forces was prevented from reaching the British until the next morning. See "Life of Washington," vol. ii., pp. 334, 335.

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has infected another part of the army, when their want of discipline, and refusal of almost every kind of restraint and government, have produced a like conduct but too common to the whole, and an entire disregard of that order and subordination necessary to the welldoing of an army, and which had been inculcated before, as well as the nature of our military establishment would admit of,—our condition becomes still more alarming; and, with the deepest concern, I am obliged to confess my want of confidence in the generality of the troops."

Howe, not unnaturally, supposing that the defeat of the Americans on Long Island would make a profound impression, dispatched General Sullivan, who had been taken prisoner, to Philadelphia, to offer to Congress a renewal of overtures for peace. He expressed a desire to meet some members of that body, simply as private gentlemen, since he was unable to recognize their official position. Congress after considerable debate, concluded to send a committee to wait upon the Howes, upon whom the British commanders might look, in whatever light they thought fit. Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge, were deputed to Staten Island, "to receive the communications of Lord Howe." The conference, held on the 11th of September, resulted as might have been expected. The Howes had no authority, except to receive submission to the crown; the delegates from Congress neither would nor could listen to any terms short of the acknowledgment of the independence of the United States.

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Negotiations having failed, there was of necessity renewed preparations for hostilities. The position of affairs was such, that no one, perhaps, except Washington, could have resolved to persevere in the face of the difficulties that beset his path on every side. The character of the struggle, he had the sagacity to see, must be tedious, desultory, and painful, redeemed by few of those brilliant exploits requisite to dazzle the public mind and sustain the enthusiasm of his country. With so ill-compacted a force, it must be long ere he could hope to face the enemy in a pitched battle with any chance of success; all he could expect was to impede his march, cut off his supplies, and harass his progress; forced to retreat from prudential motives, when his natural temper would have led him to solicit the combat; blamed for inevitable defeats, and looked to for impossible victories. Until the check on Long Island, the Americans had flattered themselves that success would constantly favor their arms. cessive confidence they now fell into unreasoning dejection. At first, they supposed courage without discipline could do all; now they thought that it could do nothing. Thus disheartened, the militia abandoned their colors by hundreds, and even entire regiments left for their homes.

From ex

Howe having made his approaches to New York, it became an object of the first consequence to Washington, to ascertain, if possible, the plans of the enemy, in order to counteract them by the proper movements on his side. Accordingly he applied to the brave Colo