Upon the evacuation of Boston, the British army retired to Halifax, at which place reinforcements from England were expected by Sir William Howe. He at length, however, re-embarked his forces and sailed to Staten Island, where a landing was ef fected on the 3d and 4th of July. Ample supplies were immediately procured, owing to the extreme disaffection of a great portion of the inhabitants of those parts; and the intrigues and popularity of Governor Tryon even collected a considerable force of loyalists, as they were termed, who were em bodied under his own immediate command. The machinations of these concealed foes severely tested the vigilance of the American leader. Among other things, a conspiracy was discovered in the city of New York, headed by its mayor, to excite an insurrection upon the landing of the British, and to deliver into their hands the post and the person of the general. The design was fortunately defeated, and some of the most guilty brought to condign punishment; but the spirit of disaffection still remained to cripple the progress of liberty, and to assist the movements of its more open ad versaries.
Meanwhile the great change was advancing, which was to affect the whole character of the war, and to build the foundations of a new empire out of the massive materials rent from the crumbling structure of the old. The banners of the colonies had hitherto only been unfurled for the redress of tyrannical grievances inflicted by arbitrary acts of the British parliament, without impeachment of the sovereignty of George III.: national inde pendence was an experiment too daring and un compromising to meet with early and welcome ac ceptation. But the bitter animosities engendered by protracted warfare, had slowly undermined the kindly feelings of origin and kindred. It was gene rally acknowledged that no reconciliation with the mother-country could be cordial or lasting—no greater or more dangerous struggle was necessary, even if independence were to be the mced of tri umph—and the tempting advantages of self-govern ment, compared with a distant controul exercised for the commercial benefit of the rulers alone, gradually led the minds of men to this great and important contemplation. The progress of popular feeling was regularly exhibited in the successive resolutions of congress; the measures adopted be came more and more vigorous, and the tone of the public declarations rapidly increased in boldness and determination. At length, on the 7th of June, independence was directly moved by Richard Henry Lee, seconded by John Adams; and the committee to whom it was referred, reported a resolution " that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; and that all political connexion between them and the state of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dis solved." Some necessary delays took place after this report, hut on the 4th of July, when ali was matured, the glorious declaration went forth, which claimed for the United States of America that stand among the nations of the earth, which God and nature had assigned them. The army hailed the new epoch with all the ardour of military enthu siasm, and the friends of liberty rejoiced that their holy struggle was no longer to be characterized as the war of subjects with their acknowledged king.
The two armies were now again fairly arrayed, and the fortunes of the new republic were to be weighed in the scales of war. Lord Howe, and his brother Sir William, had been invested with the royal commission to pacify the colonies, in cluding very large powers of pardon and exemp tion; their first effort was, therefore, an attempt at conciliation. Some correspondence that took place
with the American leader, strongly exhibited the elevated tone of character for which Washington was ever distinguished. A flag of truce addressed to " George Washington, Esq." was sent back without an audience, and a like result attended other communications of the same nature. The commander-in-chief declined holding any inter course, when the public character was not acknow ledged which alone made him the organ of cor respondence. To a proud exhibition of the au thority of the British commissioners, he replied that Lord Howe and Sir William were empowered to grant pardons, but that none were needed by those who had committed no fault: the American nation was only defending its indubitable rights. It was evident that no arbiter remained but the force of arms, and both parties prepared themselves for immediate conflict.
The English army, swelled by powerful rein forcements, now numbered twenty-four thousand men in its array, perfectly equipped, and veterans in the discipline of war; an immense fleet pro tected its movements, and insured communications and supplies. Ten thousand men, enfeebled by long exposure, and the consequent maladies of new soldiers, constituted the whole array of the Americans at the landing of Sir William Howe: through the extraordinary and indefatigable ex ertions of the commander-in-chief, this force was increased to twenty-seven thousand before the mid dle of August, though one-fourth were sick, and almost all the levies raw and undisciplined. The main body lay on York island; a strong force under Major-general Sullivan was posted on Long Island, and Governor's Island and Fowles Hook were oc cupied by small detachments. The mind of Wash ington was filled with the deepest anxiety: he plainly saw all the hazards to which he was cx •7177 11 posed, and he announced them to Congress: but at the same time he expressed his stern confidence of forcing the enemy to buy dearly any advantage they might obtain. In the energetic proclamations addressed to the army, be exhorted them " to ani mate and encourage each other, and show the whole world that a freeman contending for liberty, on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mer cenary on earth." The principal position of the American army on Long Island was at the village of Brooklyn, where a camp had been intrenched, and was held by Put nam with a strong detachment: the troops beyond these lines were more exposed, though the pru dence of the general-in-chief had foreseen all dan gers, and provided for every casualty. The Bri tish having landed on the island, attacked these outposts vigorously on the 26th of August. Un fortunately, owing to very blameable neglect of duty in those who were charged with the execution of the precautionary measures inculcated in Wash ington's order, Sir Henry Clinton was enabled to surprise an important pass, and to turn General Sullivan's position, while Generals Grant and De Meister occupied his attention with a brisk can nonade. The consequences were extremely dis astrous; the divisions most exposed to the enemy were compelled to take refuge within the lines, after suffering severely in killed, wounded, and pri soners, including among the last the commander, Sullivan himself, and Brigadiers Lord Stirling and Woodhull. Sir William Howe estimated the American loss at the exaggerated number of three thousand three hundred men, while his own was calculated at three hundred and sixty-seven. Washington's report, which stated his loss below one thousand, most probably included only the re gular continental troops, without regard to the militia.