feld-pieces, iffued through a gate which commanded that paffage, and attacked them furiously in the rear, whilft they were already fully occupied in every other part, by the troops which now poured upon them from all quarters. In thefe defperate circumstances, without a poffibility of efcape, attacked on all fides, and under every difadvantage of ground as well as number, they obftinately defended themselves for three hours, and at length furrendered prifoners of

war.

The prisoners were treated with the greatest humanity by General Carleton; a conduct, which the habitual military feverity of his temper rendered the more honourable, All enmity to Montgomery expired with his life, and refpect to his private character prevailed over all other confiderations; his dead body received every poffible mark of diftinction from the victors, and was interred in Quebec with all the military honours due to a brave foldier. It appears, by comparing different circumftances previous and fubfequent to this engagement, that the rebels, in killed, wounded, and prifoners, did not lofe fewer than half their number. A letter from Arnold, written foon after, ftates their remaining force at only 700 men.

Thus fell Richard Montgomery. He was a gentleman of good family in the kingdom of Ireland, ferved with reputation in the late war, and fell in the prime of life. The excellency of his qualities and difpofition had procured him an uncommon fhare of private affection, as his abilities had of public esteem; and there was probably no man engaged on the fame fide,

and few on either, whofe lofs would have been fo much regretted both in England and America. He is reprefented as a real and eager lover of liberty; and having married a lady, and purchafed an eftate in New-York, was from thence induced to confider himself as an American. Thus, fay his friends, he was led by principle to quit the sweets of an eafy fortune, the enjoyment of a loved and philofophical rural life, with the highest domeftic felicity, to take an active share in all the miseries and dangers of the prefent trou. bles. He had undoubtedly confiderable, and probably great, military abilities; and it remains to be lamented, that a man, who feemed fo well formed to support the interefts and glory of his country againft her natural foes, fhould have perished in an unnatural and most unhappy civil conteft. In America, he was revered as a martyr to the caufe of human nature, and the liberties of mankind. What was more extraordinary, the most powerful fpeakers in the British parliament difplayed their eloquence in praifing his vir tues and lamenting his fate. A great orator, and veteran fellowfoldier of his in the late war, fhed abundance of tears, whilst he expapatiated on their fast friendship and participation of fervice in that feafon of enterprize and glory. Even the minifter extolled his virtues, whilft he condemned the rebellicus caufe they were employed in, and the fatal effects. which their mistaken application had produced.

The Governor and officers acquired great and deferved honour by this defence, and the behavi

Our

our of the raw garrifon would have done credit to veterans. It afforded an instance, how far the conducl and example of a few brave and experienced officers might operate, in rendering the raweft and worstformed troops refpectable. Indeed, the emulation arifing between the different orders of men which compofed the garrifon, probably converted an apparent weakness into a real ftrength.

The befiegers immediately quit ted their camp, and retired about three miles from the city, where they ftrengthened their quarters in the best manner they were able, being apprehenfive of a purfuit and attack from the garrifon. The latter, however, though now fuperior in number, were unfit for a fervice of that nature, and their able Governor, with a degree of wisdom and fobriety equal to his intrepidity and firmness, content ed himself with the unexpected advantage and fecurity he had gained, without hazarding the fate of the province, and perhaps of America, in any rath enterprize. The city was now completely out of danger, and the great fuccours which were expected could not fail to relieve the whole province.

By the death of Montgomery, the command of the American army devolved upon Arnold, whofe wound rendered him, for the prefent, unequal to fo arduous a tafk. Their perfeverance was, however, aftonishing in their circumftances. They had loft, befides their General (in whom it might be faid all their hopes and confidence refided),

ac

the best of their officers, and the bravest of their fellows, with a part of their small artillery. The hope of affiftance was diftant, and, at beft, the arrival of fuccours must be flow. It was well known that the Canadians, befides being naturally quick and fickle in their refolutions, were peculiarly dif pofed to be biaffed by fuccefs, fo that their affiftance now grew extremely precarious. The feverity of a Canada winter was alfo far beyond any thing they were quainted with, and the fnow lay above four feet deep upon a level. In thefe circumftances, it required no fmall fhare of activity, as well as addrefs, to keep them in any manner together. Arnold, who had hitherto difplayed uncommon talents in his march into Canada (which may be compared to the greatest things done in that kind), difcovered on this occafion the utmoft vigour of a determined mind, and a genius full of refources. Defeated and wounded as he was, he put his troops into fuch a fituation as to keep them ftill formidable. He difpatched an exprefs to Woofter, who was at Montreal, to bring fuccours, and to affume the command; but as this could not be done immediately, he bore up, with the force he had, against the difficulties with which he was furrounded. From that time the fiege was for fome months converted into a blockade, and Arnold found means effectually to obftruct the arrival of any supplies of provifions or neceffaries in the town.

CHAP.

than common degree of attention and perfonal regard, to the carl of Dunmore, their Governor.

In this ftate of things, however, the want of a legal affembly, feeming to give fome fanction to the holding of a convention, a Provincial Congress was affembled in the month of March, 1775, who immediately (under the cover of an old law of the year 1738, which they faid to be fill effective) took measures for arraying the militia; but to fupply in fome degree thofe defects in that law, to remedy which, as they pretended, all fubfequent ones had been paffed, they recommended to each county to raife a volunteer company, for the better defence and protection of the country.

This interference in the militia, probably alarmed the Governor, and feems to have been the cause, that rendered the public magazine belonging to the colony in the capital city of Williamsburg, an object of his appreAp. 20, 1775 henfion. However that was, he foon afterwards employed the captain of an armed veffel, which lay at a few miles diftance in James River, with a detachment of marines, to convey the powder, by night, from the magazine on board his fhip.

Though this measure was conducted with great privacy, it was by fome means difcovered the enfuing morning, when the apparent fecrecy, and feeming mysterioufnefs of the act, increafed the confternation and alarm among the inhabitants, who immediately affembled with fuch arms as they had at hand, with an intention of demanding, or, perhaps, obtaining, reftitution of the gunpowder.

The mayor and corporation, however, prevented their proceeding to any extremities, whilft they prefented an addrefs to the Governor, ftating the injury, reclaiming the powder as a matter of right, and fhewing the dangers to which they were peculiarly liable from the infurrection of their flaves; a calamity, which had for fome time been particularly apprehended, and which the removal of their only means of defence, would at any time have accelerated.

His Lordship acknowledged, that the gunpowder had been removed by his order; faid, that as he had heard of an infurrection' in a neighbouring county, and did not think it fecure in the maga zine, he had it conveyed to a place of perfect fecurity; but gave his word, that whenever an infur rection rendered it neceffary, it fhould be immediately returned. He also faid, that it had been removed in the night to prevent giv ing an alarm; expreffed great furprize at the people's affembling in arms; and obferved, that he could not think it prudent to put powder into their hands in fuch a fituation.

Whatever fatisfaction this anfwer might have afforded to the magiftrates, they prevailed on the people to retire quietly to the houfes, without any remarkable outrage, that we can learn, having been committed; indeed, it ap peared, from depofitions after wards taken by order of the affem bly, that the officers of the men of war, on that flation, and particu larly the gentleman who might b fuppofed to have rendered himfel obnoxious by removing the pow der, appeared publicly in the ftreets, during the time of the

greate

greatest commotion, without their receiving the fmalleft infult. A report being, however, fpread in the evening, that detachments from the men of war were upon their march to the city, the people again took to their arms, and continued all night upon the watch, as if in expectation of an attack from an enemy. They alfo from this time increased their night patroles, and shewed an evident defign to protect the magazine from any further attempts.

The whole value of the powder and arms in the magazine, or any purpose to which they were capable of being converted, either in the hands of friends or enemies, feemed very inadequate to the alarm, fufpicion, and disturbance, which this meafure excited. The quantity of powder removed amounted only to fifteen half barrels, containing fifty pounds each, of a very ordinary fort, and the remaining flock left behind in the magazine, to about fix of the fame kind; neither does it appear that the number of ferviceable mufkets was fufficient to answer any effential purpose, or even to juftify apprehenfion, and the caution of tripping thefe of their locks, only marked the fufpicion from which it proceeded. *A confiderable quantity of old arms, and common trading guns, were not med dled with. Upon the whole, this act derived its only importance, from time, manner, and circumftance.

The Governor feems to have been exceedingly irritated at the behaviour of the people in thefe commotions, and perhaps refented oo highly, for fuch times, their aflembling in arms, not only with

out, but with an evident intention to oppofe his authority. In this warmth of temper fome threats were thrown out, which upon a cooler reflection would probably have been avoided. Among these, a threat of fetting up the royal ftandard, of enfranchifing the negroes, arming them against their masters, aad deftroying the city, with other expreffions of a fimilar nature and tendency, not only fpread a general alarm throughout the colony, but excited a kind of abhorrence of government, and an incurable fufpicion of its defigns.

In the mean time, feveral public meetings were held in different counties, in all of which, the meafure of feizing and removing the powder, as well as the Governor's threats, were reprobated in the ftrongest terms. Some of the gentlemen of Hanover, and other of the neighbouring counties, were not, however, fatisfied with fimple declarations. They affembled in arms to a confiderable number, under the conduct of a Mr. Henry, who was one of the provincial Delegates to the General Congress, and marched towards Williamfburg, with an avowed defign, not only to obtain reftitution of the gunpowder, but to take fuch ef fectual measures for fecuring the public treafury, as fhould prevent its experiencing a fimilar fate with the magazine. A negociation was, however, entered into with the magiftrates, when they had arrived within a few miles of the city, in which it was finally fettled, that the Receiver-General of the colony's fecurity, for paying the value of the gunpowder, fhould be accepted as reftitution, and [B] 2

that