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Show Em‘dme of MAJOR GENERAL ROBERTSON. Eavz‘a'encequAjoa G1: xERAL ROBERTSON. who crofl'ed the North River about the middle of December, nor of that under General Putnam. they faid they could: he accordingly put in for the land, and was L etermined to burn two barns w1th1n his View, and create fified of about two or three thoufand men each. He could not undertake to afcertain the rebel force in the Highlands. He never {aw any authentic returns of the rebel force in its fever-a1 diflributions. He fpoke from hearfay. He had not the effective returns of the royal army in 1776 or 1777 ; but if the corps were complete they mull: amount to the numbers ftated by him. He did not know the navigation of the Delaware, or by the way of Chefapeak. He knew the North River. There were Km" \‘nnh no'rivers of any confequence in the route from New York to R. gmggagm ‘ Albany. There were fome on the cppoflte banks, on which the enemy might take poll; the route was in l'ome pla es five, fix, and eight miles from the river; the enemy might, if in force, turn the flank of the royal army, and compel them to hazard a battle at a difadvantage ; but all that might be eafily avoided Army might go by a water tranfport of the troops as well as the ltores and pro l'Y "WU" ""0 vilions. The Highlands, with all the paffes in it, muff be fe- 21",); Sailor: °f an alarm, which he made no doubt would have anfwered very good purpofes. The wind. however fhifti'ng, he proceeded to the proper place of his delhnation which was New-York. Examined 5} Sir W'z'llz'am Howe. or no communication with the people of Ameri. little had He Time ofAmeri- ca time the commencement of the war. can loyalty. His allufions to their difpofitions were chiefly gathered from his former knowledge of them, while in a {late of peace and obedience; particularly that relative to their willingnefs to provide quarters for the troops, though not obliged to it. This was during the laft war, upwards of twenty years fince. The converfations with people of weight and confequence in the country, were at the breaking out of the rebellion; were about the year 1775; were about eight months before aetual hoflilities; were before the battle of Lexington, on the 19th of April 1775; were before that battle three or four months; The army by water could be tranfported in two days, PP ' f0 as to defeat all the land operations of the enemy. lValhington had no magazines, he mutt draw his fupply from a remote country; operations by water mull have been fuc- The eonverfations with the Oflicers at New York were about the commencement of the rebellion ; were about 1774 or 1775: cefsful. Sloops and craft on the NOrth River might be procur- Vegas 70 to", ed ; they were procured laft war. They carried on a commercego to Albany. or trade between Albany and New York; they were called Al- that of 1775; he heard twenty thoufand men fpoke of, but whether previous to the campaign 1775 or r776, he could not bany {loops or craft ; they were of about feventy tons burthen; each of them would carry a hundred foldiers. He could not fay whether a number fuflicient to tranfport 15,000 men could undertake to fay ; he knew a certain Officer's name was men. tioned. (Lord Amherfl.) be procured. There were roads and communications in the Jerfeys for the The number of rank and file embarked at Bolton, did not, he leaving Bofio‘n. believed, exceed 6000. The Commander in Chief upon quitt- ing Bolton, had not a force fufhcient to proceed to New York, nor could he have fafely ventured to land, till his force was augmented by the Germans and the Britilh from Europe. N0 improper delay happened from the General's remaining at Staten Illand, till his debarking his force at Gravefend. The male inhabitants at Gravefend and Flat Bufli had deferted their -. x were in the year 1774. he could not precifely tell the time; it was before the campaign 1776; he believed it might be about the commencement of Army 6er at cured. He had heard they con- troops marching in columns. To march in columns through woods, paflages through the woods mull be cut and Cleared. lilarching an army in a flngle column he allowed was very im- proper, becaufe the army might be flopt by an inferior force; and before the line could be properly and regularly formed, the enemy might efcape by flight. Lord Amherft met no enemy nor interruption in his march from New‘York to Albany, nor from thence to Ticonderoga. The French abandoned their lines, and the Fort at that place was foon after evacuated with- dwellings in a great meafure, upon the arrival of the royal 211" my, though not all ; and he could not fpeak to the flight 0f the male inhabitants at Utrecht, becaufe he was not there at the firl't landing of the troops ; the doors were open, and fomc males, and almoll the whole women and children remained in their dwellings. He always underflood that the rebels in their flight through the Jerfeys, did not confifl of, at the highefl, 3000 men. 9 did not know the exact amount of the force under General L? W 0 out refillance. _ He believed a part of the grand army might have been fpar-4 or 50:0 to ated to make a diver-lion on the coafls of New England. Four or Wk 1‘6"? Engfive thoufand men might have been well fpared, after which CCLFflHIZWaEL? the royal army would have been e ual in number to that un'iiigion. der \Vaihington, who, he believe , had not even at the action of the Brandywine more than 10,000 men under his command, G Examined tilt and others, whether they could put him onlhore on that coall; .th :h'L‘r ; &;.e-;.. 13 1 coaft of New England, and having a reinforcement of 170° men under his command, he confulted with the naval officer: |
