THE

AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

BY

GEORGE BANCROFT.

VOL. II.

NINTH EDITION, REVISED.

BOSTON:

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, by

GEORGE BANCROFT,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York.

Cambridge:
Presswork by John Wilson and Son.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XLI.

THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS IN MIDSUMMER, 1775. June 17-July, 1775.

Censure on Howe's attack on Bunker Hill, 25-Sufferings of the British,

25-Great-loss of officers, 26-Death of Abercrombie, 26-Election of Ameri-

can major generals, 26-Artemas Ward, 26-Charles Lee, 26—Opinion of

him in England, 26-His character, 27-His demand of indemnity, 28-New

York proposes Schuyler, 28-Montgomery's opinion, 29-Schuyler's charac-

ter, 29-Choice of Israel Putnam, 29-His previous career, 29-His charac-

ter, 29-Horatio Gates Adjutant General, 30-His rank, 30-His character, 30

--Incompetency of the general officers, 30—Thomas Jefferson enters Congress,

30—Election of brigadiers, 30—Seth Pomeroy chosen, 30—His character, 30-

He declines, 30-Richard Montgomery chosen, 30-His character, 31-

Choice of David Wooster, 31-Of William Heath, 31-Of Joseph Spencer, 31

-Of John Thomas, 31-Of John Sullivan, 31-Of Nathaniel Greene, 31-

Washington's farewell to Congress, 31—His departure from Philadelphia, 31

-His reception at New York, 32—Reception of Governor Tryon, 33—Ad-

dress of New York Congress to Washington, 33-His answer, ¿4—New York

plan of accommodation, 34-Congress expects but one campaign, 31-Its finan-

cial system, 35—Increase of the army, 35-Congress authorizes the invasion

of Canada, 35-Causes of taking up arms, 36-Measures advised by John

Adams, 37—Franklin's message to Strahan, 37-Second petition of congress to

the King, 37-Union announced, 38-Congress addresses the people of Great

Britain, 38—Address to London, 39-Appointment of Richard Penn as agent

for congress, 39-The alternative proposed, 39.

CHAPTER XLII.

THE ARMY ROUND BOSTON. July, 1775.

Washington, Mifflin, Reed, Lee, Gates, at Cambridge, 40-Popularity

›f Washington, 41-Trumbull's Message, 41-State of the army, 41-Wash-

ington visits the American posts, 41-Their condition, 42-Sufferings of the

inhabitants of Boston, 42-Number of the British army, 42—The American

lines, 43-Stockbridge Indians, 43-Number of the American army, 44–

Their appearance, 44-The camp, 44—Its deficiencies, 44-Washington intro-

duces reforms. 45-Lee tries to negotiate, 46-Burgoyne's letter to Lee, 46—

Lee's clandestine letter to Burgoyne, 46-Various skirmishes and expeditions,

47–Declaration for taking up arms read to the colony, 47-Town meetings in

Massachusetts, 47-Election of house of representatives, 48-Boston town

meeting held at Concord, 48-Attack on Boston lighthouse, 48-Organization

of government in Massachusetts, 48-Alarm of General Gage, 48-He wishes

to transfer the army to New York, 49-Skirmish at the lighthouse, 49-

Washington misjudges the New England people, 49-Their benevolence and

zeal, 49—Their exertions, 50.

CHAPTER XLIII.

CONGRESS STILL HOPES TO AVERT WAR. July, 19—August, 1775.

Inefficiency of the continental congress as an executive body, 51-Wash-

Ington's reports, 51-His wants, 51-Reports from Schuyler, 52-The want of

discipline, 52—Measures adopted by Congress, 52-Congress gives authority

to employ troops, 52--and recommendations to provide them, 53-Franklin

proposes a confederacy, 53--Its conditions, 53-Its component members, 53—

Its perpetuity, 53-Two great principles of his plan, 54-The proposition

reserved, 54—Georgia joins the Union, 54-Lord North's proposal referred to a

committee, 54—Jamaica remembered, 54—America and Ireland, 54— Ameri-

cans complain to the Irish of Howe, 55-British attempts to gain the aid of the

savages, 55-Apathy of Congress, 55-Indignation of John Adams, 56-His

letters intercepted, 56-Jefferson's paper in reply to Lord North's proposal,

56-Reasons for rejecting his proposal, 56-Proposal for a truce, 57—Post

Office established. 57-Congressional system of finances, 57-How it was

proposed to redeem the paper money, 58-Contrast of the finances of Britain,

58-Congress refuses to open the American ports, 58-Congress adjourns, 59.

CHAPTER XLIV.

AMERICA AWAITS THE KING'S DECISION. August-September, 1775.

Duties of Washington, 60-His position, 60--His want of money, powder,

arms, 61-Divisions of the army, 61-Washington's measures to obtain a lit-

tle powder, 61-Spirit of the country, 62-The riflemen, 62—Character of

Morgan, 62-Zeal of his company, 63-Cresap and his company, 63-Pennsyl-

vania riflemen, 64—Alacrity of the new recruits, 64-Influence of the riflemen on

European tactics, 65—Linzee bea:en off from Cape Ann, 65-Artifices of Gage,

66-His ill-treatment of American prisoners, 66-Washington remonstrates, 66

-Foolish insolence of Gage, 66-Washington and the people as the source of

power, 66—Retaliation threatened, 67-Stanhope breaks his parole, 67-State

of the British troops in Boston, 67-Timorousness of Gage, 67-Boston more

closely invested, 67—Washington rejects the plan of an expedition against

Nova Scotia, 68-He directs an invasion of Canada from Ticonderoga, 68–

And by way of the Kennebec, 68-His policy with regard to coast defence, 68 ̧

-His difficulties and wants, 69-His fortitude, 70.

CHAPTER XLV.

CONDITION OF THE CENTRAL PROVINCES. July-October, 1775.

Moderation the wise policy for the central provinces, 71-System of Wil

liam Franklin in New Jersey, 71-Provincial congress of New Jersey, 71—

Provides for defence, 72-Lord Stirling, 72-Pennsylvania, 72-Willing and

its first convention, 72-Reed and its second convention, 73-Mistakes of

policy, 73—The social influence of Philadelphia, 73-Influence of the pro-

prietary governor, 74—Dickinson misuses his power, 74—Insincerity of the

assembly, 74-It appoints a committee of safety, 75-Firmness of Delaware,

75-Mackean, 75-Unanimity of Maryland, 75-Its conservative measures, 76

-It restores equality to the Catholic, 76—Charles Carroll, 76—Lukewarm-

ness of Dulany, 76—Character of Samuel Chase, 76-Spirit of the colony, 77

-The proprietary, 77-Prudence of Eden, the lieutenant-governor, 77—Con-

vention at Annapolis, 78-Its spirit and measures, 78-It places Catholic and

Protestant on an equality, 78-Rashness of Dunmore in Virginia, 78-Mode-

ration of the assembly, 79—Arrogance of Dunmore, 79-Unanimity of the

assembly, 79-Regal authority abdicated, 79—Virginia convention at Rich-

mond, 80-Its measures, 80-Military rank of Patrick Henry, 80—Richard

Bland, 80-His retirement, 81-George Mason elected to congress, 81-He

declines, 81-Election of Francis Lee, 81-Choice of a committee of safety

81-Edmund Pendleton, 82-Virginia issues more paper money, 82-Taxa-

tion suspended, 82-Declaration of the convention, 82-Spirit of Jefferson, 82.

CHAPTER XLVI.

GEORGIA AND THE CAROLINAS. July-October, 1775.

Governor of Georgia for conciliation, 83-Provincial congress. 83—Its

measures, 83-Movements of the people, 84-State of South Carolina, 84—

Advice of its governor, 84—News of Bunker Hill battle reaches Charleston,

85-A session of the South Carolina legislature, 85-The patriots, 85-The

council, 85-The condition of the interior, 85-Herdsmen, Germans and others,

86-Despised by the planters, 86-Emissaries visit them. 86-Hostilities and

a truce, 87—Andrew Pickens, 87--Many of the inhabitants royalists, 87—

Danger from the savages, 87-Stuart, the Indian agent, 87-Gage and the

savages, 87—His order, 88-Stuart obeys the order, 89-What the deputy

agent thought of employing the Cherokees, 89-Measures for defence of

Charleston, 89-Proposal to arrest the governor, 89-Defeated by Rawlins

Lowndes, 89-Moultrie seizes Fort Johnson, 90-Pinckney's courage, 90—

Post taken at Haddrell's Point, 90-Troops on James Island, 91—Governor