"in that tower, of which lord Cornwallis was "the conftable."

Mr. Burke, in a very pathetic ftyle, detailed the variety of fufferings, hardfhips, and injus tice, which had been inflicted on Mr. Laurens during his long imprisonment. This, with other inftances of fevere and injudicious treatment of prisoners, he made the ground-work of a propofed bill, to obviate the difficulties arising from the prefent mode of exchanging the American prifoners; a mode which, he remarked, was at once difgraceful and inconvenient to the government of the kingdom. He urged, that "motives of humanity, of found

policy, and of common fenfe, called loudly for "a new law, establishing a regulation totally "different from the prefent, which was funda

mentally erroneous." However, Mr. Laurens obtained his release from the circumftances above mentioned, before any new regulation of the British code of laws, relative to prisoners or any other object, took place.

CHAP. XXI.

1781.

CHAPTER XXII.

CHAP. XXII.

1781.

General Wayne fent to the Southward.-Embarrassments of General Greene in that Quarter.-Recovery of Georgia, and Evacuation of Savannah by the British.-Death and Character of Colonel Laurens.-Character of General Greene. Confequent Obfervations.

IMMEDIATELY after the fuccefsful operations in Virginia, the count de Graffe took leave of his American friends, and conformably to orders received from his court before he left France, failed for the West Indies. He left the continent in the beginning of November, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-one. He was accompanied with the gratitude and good wishes of almost every individual in the United States; nor was this more than justice required.

A moft extraordinary reverfe of fortune and profpects had taken place in America, after the arrival of this brave commander and the auxiliaries of his nation, who had come forward and lent their aid to the Americans. This affistance was received by the United States, at a period when her armies, and America herself, ftood in the most serious and folemn point of her diftrefs.

1781.

Decorated with the laurels of military fame, CHAP. XXII. feveral of the principal officers withdrew from Virginia, and repaired to other quarters. General Washington, laden with the fplendid trophies of victory, went on to Philadelphia, where, by particular request of congrefs, he continued fome time. There he received a perfonal and complimentary addrefs from that body, and the applaufes of all conditions of men, in a degree fufficient to ftimulate the leaft ambitious mind to purfue the path of victory, until time should bring a period of reft to the pursuits of war.

The marquis la Fayette, defirous to revifit his native country, which had been feveral years involved in a war with Great Britain, embraced the present opportunity and returned to France. He was complimented by congress with an advance of rank in the army, and the higheft expreffions of esteem for his bravery and good conduct in their fervice. With a ftrong attachment to the inhabitants, and the moft friendly difpofition toward the United States, he promised to return again to America with further aids, if it should be found neceffary to try the fortune of another campaign, before the contefted object fhould be completely obtained.

After the capture of the British army, the furrender of their fhipping in the Chefapeake,

CHAP. XXII.

1781.

and the restoration of tranquillity in the ftate of Virginia, general Wayne was ordered on with the Pennsylvania line, to march with the utmost dispatch to South Carolina, to the aid of general Greene, who had yet many difficulties to encounter in that quarter. The diftance from the central ftates, and the long fervice at the fouthward, had expofed the American commander, and the army there, to fufferings indefcribable.

After the action at the Eutaw Springs, we left general Greene on the High-Hills of Santee, where he thought it neceffary to repair, to fecure and recruit the remainder of his army, and to wait the exigencies that might again call him forward to the more active scenes of the field. He did not continue there long, before he thought proper to move forwards toward Jackfonborough. There the light troops from Virginia, that had been commanded by the colonels Laurens and Lee, joined him : but the whole army was fo deftitute of ammunition, and every other neceffary for an advance to any action, that they had fcarcely the means of fup. porting themselves in a defenfive condition: of confequence, only fome small skirmishes enfued, without much advantage to either party. It was happy for the Americans, that their enemies were now almoft as much reduced in numbers as themselves. Yet the variegated caufes of

diftrefs among this fmall remnant of continental foldiers, were almoft innumerable.

They were in an unhealthy climate, always unfriendly to northern conftitutions. They were deftitute of many of the neceffaries for carrying on war with advantage, and almoft without the means of fupporting human life. In addition to this, the general had to combat difaffection, discontent, and mutiny, in his own army. The Maryland line particularly, had indulged a mutinous spirit to an alarming extreme, which required all the addrefs of the commander in chief to fupprefs. At the fame time, he had to encounter dangers of every kind from a valiant enemy, stimulated to cruelty by many circumstances that led them almoft to defpair of their own cause.

On the other hand, the difaffection of moft of the inhabitants of Charleston, and the ficklenefs of the country on which he had depended, had been indeed difcouraging circumstances to lord Rawdon. Not willing to rifk his conftitution longer in that infalubrious latitude, he had embarked for England in the fummer, was captured on his paffage by the count de Graffe, but was foon after reftored to his native country. The troops he left behind were not in want of food, clothing, or warlike ftores; while the little American army under general Greene, was naked to that extreme, that they

CHAP. XXII.

1781.