The Grenadiers, Light Infantry, and a Picquet from the following regiments, viz. of Armanac, Angenois, Bearn, and Royal Roufillon; together with the colony troops of Guadaloupe, Martinique, Cape François, and Port au Prince; alfo the marine from the hips; making in all, a body of 5500 men. The French General Officers were, Le Comte d'Estaing, Commander in Chief by fea and land. Notes 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, and 144. Correfpondence between M. D'Eftaing and General Prevost. (No. 1.)-TRANSLATION. Count d'Estaing fummons his Excellency General Prevoft to furrender to the arms of the King of France. He apprizes him, that he will be perfonally refponfible for all the events and misfortunes that may arife from a defence, which, by the fuperiority of the force which attacks him, both by fea and land, is rendered manifeftly vain and of no effect. He gives notice to him alfo, that any refolution he may venture to come to, either before the attack, in the courfe of it, or at the moment of the affault, of fetting fire to the shipping or small craft belonging to the army, or to the merchants in the river Savannah, as well as to all the magazines in the town, will be imputable to him only. The fituation of Hofpital Hill in the Grenades, the strength of the three intrenchments and stone redoubts which defended it, and the comparative difpofition of the troops before the town of Savannah, with the fingle detachment, which carried the Grenades by af fault, fault, fhould be a leffon to futurity. Humanity obliges the Count d'Estaing to recal this event to his memory; having fo done, he has nothing to reproach himself with. Lord Macartney had the good fortune to escape from the first tranfport of troops who enter a town fword in hand; but notwithstanding the most valuable effects were depofited in a place fuppofed by all the officers and engineers to be impregnable, Count d'Estaing could not have the happiness of preventing their being pillaged. Camp before Savannah, the 16th of Sept. 1779. (No. 2.)-Copy of a letter from Major General Prevost to the Count d'Estaing, dated Camp, Savannah, Sept. 16, 1779. SIR, I am just now honoured with your Excellency's letter of this date, containing a fummons for me to furrender this town to the arms of his Majesty the King of France, which I had just delayed to answer, till I had fhewn it to the King's civil Governor. I hope your Excellency will have a better opinion of me, and of British troops, than to think either will furrender on a general fummons, without any specifick terms. If you, Sir, have any to propofe that may with honour be accepted of by me, you can mention them, both with regard to civil and military, and I will then give my answer: in the mean time I will promife upon my honour, that nothing, with my knowledge or confent, fhall be destroyed in either this town or river. I have juft received your Excellency's anfwer to the letter I had the honour of writing to you this morning. You are fenfible that it is the part of the befieged to propofe fuch terms as they may defire; and you cannot doubt of the fatisfaction I shall have, in confenting to those which I can accept confiftently with my duty. I am informed that you continue intrenching yourself. It is a matter of very little importance to me: however for form fake, I muft defire that you will defift during our conferences together. The different columns, which I had ordered to ftop, will conti M 3 tinue nue their march, but without approaching your pofts, or reconnoitring your fituation. I have the honour to be, with refpect, His Excellency General Prevoft, Major General in the fervice of his Britannic Majefty, and Commander in Chief at Savannah in Georgia. ESTAING. P. S. I apprize your Excellency that I have not been able to refufe the army of the United States uniting itself with that of the King. The junction will probably be effected this day. If I have not an anfwer therefore immediately, you must confer in future with General Lincoln and me. (No. 4.) Copy of a letter from Major General Prevost to the Count d'Estaing, dated Sept. 16, 1779. SIR, I am honoured with your Excellency's letter in reply to mine of this day. The bufinefs we have in hand being of importance, there being various interests to difcufs, a just time is abfolutely neceffary to deliberate; I am therefore to propose, that a suspension of hoftilities fhall take place for 24 hours from this date; and to request that your Excellency will direct your columns to fall back to a greater distance, and out of fight of our works, or I fhall think myself under a neceffity to direct their being fired upon. If they did not reconnoitre any thing this afternoon, they were fure within the dif tance. His Excellency Count d'Estaing, &c. &c. &c. SIR, I am, &c. (Signed) (No. 5.)—TRANSLATION. A. PREVOST. Camp before Savannah, Sept. 16, 1779. I confent to the truce you ask. It fhall continue till the fignal for retreat to-morrow night the 17th, which will ferve also to announce the recommencement of hoftilities. It is unneceffary to obferve to your Excellency, that this suspension of arms is entirely in your favour, fince I cannot be certain that you will not make use of it to fortify yourself, at the fame time that the propofitions you fhall make may be inadmiffible. I must observe to you alfo, how important it is that you fhould be fully aware of your own fituation, as well as of that of the troops under your command. Be affured that I am thoroughly acquainted with it. Your knowledge of military affairs will not fuffer you to be ignorant, that a due examination of that circumftance always precedes the march of the columns; and that this preliminary is not carried into execution by a mere fhew of troops. I have ordered them to withdraw before night comes on, to prevent any cause of complaint on your part. I understand that my civility in this respect has been the occafion that the Chevalier de Combis, a lieutenant in the navy, has been made a prisoner of war. I propose sending out some small advanced pofts to-morrow morning; they will place themfelves in fuch a fituation as to have in view the four entrances into the wood, in order to prevent a fimilar mistake in future. I do not know whether two columns commanded by the Viscount de Noailles and the Count de Dillon have shewn too much ardour, or whether your Cannoniers have not paid a proper respect to the truce fubfifting between us; but this I know, that what has happened this night is a fresh proof that matters will foon come to a decifion between us one way or another. I have the honour to be, with refpect, &c. His Excellency General Prevost, ESTAING. (No. 6.)-Copy of a letter from Major General Prevost to Count d'Estaing, dated Savannah, Sept. 17, 1779. SIR, In answer to the letter of your Excellency, which I had the honour to receive about twelve last night. I am to acquaint you, that having laid the whole correfpondence before the King's civil Governor, and the military officers of rank, affembled in council of war, the unanimous determination has been, that though we cannot look upon our poft as abfolutely inexpugnable, yet that it may and ought to be defended; therefore the evening gun, to be fired this evening an hour before fun-down, fhall be the fignal for recommencing hoftilities agreeable to your Excellency's propofal. I have the honour to be, (Signed) A. PREVOST. No. (No. 7.)-Copy of a letter from Count d'Estaing and General Lincoln to Major General Prevoft, dated Camp before Savannah, October 6, 1779. ment. SIR, We are perfuaded that your Excellency knows all that your duty prescribes :-perhaps your zeal has already interfered with your judg The Count d'Estaing, in his own name, notified to you, that you would be perfonally and alone refponfible for the confequences of your obstinacy. The time which you informed him, in the commencement of the fiege, would be neceffary for the arrangement of articles, including the different orders of men in your town, had no other object than that of receiving fuccour. Such conduct, Sir, is fufficient to forbid every intercourfe between us which might occa fion the leaft lofs of time. Befides in the prefent application, latent reafons may again exift.-There are military ones, which in frequent inftances have prevented the indulgence you request. It is with regret we yield to the aufterity of our functions; and we deplore the fate of thofe perfons who will be the victims of your conduct, and the delufion which appears to prevail in your mind. We are with refpect, &c. &c. B. LINCOLN. (No. 8.)-Copy of a letter from Major General Prevost to Count d'Estaing, dated Camp, Savannah, October 6, 1779. SIR, I am perfuaded your Excellency will do me juftice; and that in defending this place and the army committed to my charge, I fulfil what is due to honour, and duty to my prince. Sentiments of a different kind occafion the liberty of now addreffing myself to your Excellency; they are thofe of bumanity. The houses of Savannah are occupied folely by women and children. Several of them have applied to me, that I might request the favour you would allow them to embark on board a fhip or fhips, and go down the river under the protection of yours, until this bufinefs is decided. If this requifition you are fo good to grant, my wife and children, with a few fervants, fhall be the first to profit by the indulgence. I have the honour to be, &c. &c. Note 146. Return of Cafualties in the different Corps during the fiege. 16th regiment-2 rank and file deferted. 60th ditto-4 rank and file killed; 1 ferjeant, 6 rank and file wounded; 2 ferjeants, 5 rank and file deferted. |