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Show 46 Evident! quAJOR GENERAL ROEERTSON- Ew‘a'ezm of MAJOR GENERAL Romnrsoy. doors were open, and they feemed to thew every appearance of which was that only one man on the whole continent of America was known to be 2i friend of independency. Two-3dr» loyal. Said, that the majority of the people, full two thirds, were well zill‘et‘ted towards Great Britain ; and that the loyal Provin. cials now in arms, were equal, it not lizpcrior in numbers to Force adequate the rebels.--Said, that the force lent out trom home ms fully ‘0 {he WWW"- adequate to the fervices for which it was deiiqncd, particularly The rebels paid one hundred pounds currency (561. 5.:.-" "1761 res-"uh but ten d-.>llars, (2]. 5r. fiderable defence on Long-Bland. Oflicers at New-York that a certain commander (fuppofcd to mean Sir Jeffery, now Lord Axiilierli) had made. it a condition of his acceptance of the command of the army, that a reinforce- Lord Amherfi. ment of 20,000 men, {hould precede the acceptance of the command, it was looked upon as a molt extraordinary requili- tion, and interpreted only as an apology for declining to accept of any command in that country. He never underflood that the rebel army exceeded 16,000 men; the royal army, in its feveral dillrihutions, under the HOW": 40:370- command and order of Sir lVilliam Howe, including Germans Rebels 16,000. and Provincials, amounted to 40,870 cfi‘eétive men in the campaign of 1777. The country was not remarkably thong, {o as to impede and render difhcult military operations. There were woods in- terfperfed among plantations in the cultivated parts. Hcknew the Jeri‘cys, particularly that part of them which lay in the route between New-York and Philadelphia, and for tome diftance on each fide. The cultivated parts were full of farm- ho‘ufes, gentlemen's feats, Sac. inlofed like England, or the vicinity of London. There were woods here and there; but in the Jerfcys he knew of none of any great extent in the low lauds. In the. internal parts there were mountains, and 0f courfe defiles, which were called the Jet-fey Highlands. There No want of intelligence. perhaps at the highcd about 10,000 men. fires of the people, while Q3arter-matier-general ; that they had Our force 31- The royal army was equal to the feveral l-El‘VlCCS as they we)? "flual ‘0 arofe; and he remembered well, when it was known among the Defcription of America. lie had not the returns, but as well as he could recollec‘t, the force under General Howe conlified of 15 or 16,000 men ; HOV" 15,000tlii‘tt‘taiitllc rubirls under Putnam about 6000 ; in all, including puma," 6033. thale employed in uelc‘nthng the works on New-York Illand, for the campaign of 1776, and following: years. . Said, that he had number-leis opportunities of knowing the Wlil‘iCS and deAmericans af- given frequent proofs of their loyalty and afiefiron; that al. {WIOI‘B‘Cthough not obliged to furniih quarters, or lodgings tor the troops, they fpontancoufly confinted, and gave every poffihle mark of a friendly and hofpitahle dil‘polition to the King's army. thcmme' confidence and good-will towards the royal army. was no remakarble dilliculty in procuring intelligence ; enough could be procured from perfons well-affected, or from rebel pri{oners, futhcient to deferibe the face of the country, the polltions the enemy had taken, their real or fuppofed firength in numbers and appointment, &c. He was preterit at the landing of the troops at Gravel-end, on Long-Iiland, 22d of Augutt, I776. The people did not de- fcrt their dwellings, not remove their live or dead frock ; dtheil‘ 0011 llerling) bounty money for every recruit ; the King's troops 56 1' 55‘ erling). The rebels made no con-King's recruit 7-1- 55- After the retreat from White Plains, and the flight of the Reb.army2ooo. rebel: by Brunlwick through the Jert'exs to Newark, and when J they crofled the Delaware early in December, they did not exceed 3000 men, hardly to many. He knew the country from New-York to Albany extremely Operations on well, and the courle of the North River, having f0 loot: refill" NOVle"" fided in its neighbourhood. It was not remarkably lironq. car)" There were fome woods, one in particular of fix miles in length. He polled by this route in the year 1759 with the army then commanded by Lord Amherll. It was not a march of more than ten or twelve days by land. He knew of no particular impediment which llood in the way of fuccelhful opera- tions, either by land or up the North River, if alli led by the co-operation of a naval or marine force. He preferred operations to the northward to the fouthern ex- Prt‘fi'mi'l" '0 pedition; {Itch a meafurc, in his mind, carried with it ever "he 57'9‘h‘im fair and rational appearance of fuccefs. ‘ Had he been prel'ent cxllcdmun' at New York in Auguli 1777, he would have ptclluned to offer his advice to General Howe, to have proceeded by the wav or North River in preference to either goingr up the DelawarJe or Chel‘apczik Bay, particularly as the Commander in Chief had received an account from General Burgoyne of the capture of Ticonderoga, and that he was proceeding'in his way to Albany. Indeed, when he heard that the General who command‘ ed the northern expedition was left without any efibftttzil co- ThoughtGen.B . operation, to force his way fingle handed to Albany, he obl'erv-loit for want of ed to his friends, that if General Burgoyne Obtained his obiec‘t, "0‘0?""1‘10‘1- 01‘ even efcaped delirufl'ion or captivity, it would be a. greater efcape than that made by Hannibal. Alfo ufed the fame ex. prettions in a letter to General Howe, after General Burgoyne's VlClOl‘y :u Stillwatcr. He was of opinion that a diverfion on the wall of Mafl'a-A diverlion on Chulets Bay, or any ol‘ the New England Provinces, wouldthe C03" Pm‘ have proved of infinite fervice, in drawing the attention of the W" by bun" provincial militias to the defence of their own home. That he lug m0 barm' ":36 of opinion he could give a. proof. On his return to Ame. nca in Autumn £777, and meeting with crofs winds of? the coait |
