SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18.

At Worcester: Orderly Book." The General has his happiness completed relative to the successes of the Northern army. On the 14th instant General Burgoyne and his whole army surrendered themselves prisoners of war. Let every face brighten, and every heart expand with grateful joy and praise to the Supreme Disposer of all events, who has granted us this signal success. The chaplains of the army are to prepare short discourses, suited to the occasion, to deliver to their several corps and brigades at five o'clock this afternoon."

This order was based on a despatch received from Governor Clinton, dated Albany, October 15, 1777: "Last night at 8 o'clock the capitulation whereby General Burgoyne & whole Army surrendered themselves Prisoners of War, was signed and this Morning they have to march out towds. the River, above Fish Creek with the Honours of War (and there ground their Arms) they are from thence to be marched to Massachusetts bay." Negotiations for the surrender were commenced on the 14th, but the articles of the "Convention between Lieutenant-general Burgoyne and Major-general Gates" were not signed by Burgoyne until the morning of the 17th of October.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19.

At Worcester: "The defeat of General Burgoyne is a most important event, and such as must afford the highest satisfaction to every well-affected American. Should Providence be pleased to crown our arms in the course of the campaign with one more fortunate stroke, I think we shall have no great cause for anxiety respecting the future designs of Britain."- Washington to General Putnam.

"Last Sunday [October 19] the enemy entirely evacuated Germantown, and retired near Philadelphia, encamping round about the city, within a circuit of a mile or a mile and a half from it; and, to secure this camp, they have thrown up a number of breastworks or redoubts. This will render an attack upon them difficult."-Colonel Pickering to Mrs. Pickering, October 20.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21.

At Whitpain: "October 21st.-The army moved lower

down to Whitpain Township, within fifteen miles of Philadelphia. Head-quarters at Mr. Morris's."-Pickering's Jour

nal.

Washington's head-quarters at Whitpain were at the house of James Morris, between the Skippack and Morris roads, and about one mile west of the present village of Ambler. The original building, a solid stone structure, erected in 1736 by Abraham Dawes, father of Mrs. Morris, was enlarged in 1785, and in 1821 the present south wing was added, when the front, which had been south, was changed to the west. The property, containing over two hundred acres (originally three hundred and fifty), now called "Dawesfield," is still in the family, the present owner, Mrs. Saunders Lewis, of Philadelphia, being a great-granddaughter of Abraham Dawes.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24.

At Whitpain: "Whereas sundry Soldiers belonging to the armies of the United States have deserted from the same; These are to make known to all those who have so offended, and who shall return to their respective corps, or surrender themselves to the Officers appointed to receive recruits and deserters in their several States, or to any Continental Commissioned Officer, before the first day of January next, that they shall obtain a full and free pardon." -Proclamation.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25.

At Whitpain: Orderly Book.-"The Gen' again Congratulates our Troops on the success of our arms. On Wednesday last [October 22] a Body of about 1200 Hessians under the Command of Count Donop made an attack on Fort Mercer at Red Bank, and after an action of 40 Minutes were repulsed with great loss. Count Donop himself is wounded and taken prisoner together with his Brigade Major and about 100 other officers and soldiers, and about 100 were left dead on the Fields, and as they carried off many of their wounded their whole loss is probably at least 400-our loss was trifling, the killed and wounded amounting only to about 32."

UNIV. OF CALIFORNIA

1777]

ITINERARY OF GENERAL WASHINGTON.

101

On the 23d of October, the day after the gallant defence of Fort Mercer, the British frigate Augusta, of sixty-four guns, the Roebuck, of forty-four guns, and the Merlin, of eighteen guns, came up as near as they could to the upper chevaux-de-frise on the Delaware, at Fort Mifflin, when a furious engagement ensued between them and the galleys and floating batteries of the Pennsylvania fleet. About twelve o'clock the Augusta blew up, and at three o'clock the Merlin took fire and also blew up. The Roebuck dropped down the river and passed below the chevaux-de-frise at Billingsport.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27.

At Whitpain: "The Northern army, before the surrender of General Burgoyne, was reenforced by upwards of 1200 Militia who shut the only door by which Burgoyne could Retreat, and cut off all his supplies. How different our case! the disaffection of a greater part of the Inhabitants of this State-the languor of others, & internal distraction of the whole, have been among the great and insuperable difficulties I have met with, and have contributed not a little to my embarassments this Campaign."- Washington to Landon Carter.

"It is a matter of astonishment to every part of the continent, to hear that Pennsylvania, the most opulent and populous of all the States, has but twelve hundred militia in the field, at a time when the enemy are endeavouring to make themselves completely masters of, and to fix their winter quarters in, her capital."-Washington to Thomas Wharton, October 17.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29.

At Whitpain: A council of war, at which it was decided not to be advisable to make an attack upon Philadelphia; that the army should take a position to the left of its present station, and that twenty regiments should be drawn from the northern army.

To the council General Washington made the following report as to the strength of the two armies. That the troops under Sir William Howe present and fit for duty amounted, according to the best intelligence he could obtain, to ten thousand rank and file, stationed at Philadelphia and its immediate vicinity; and that the force under his command, present and fit for duty, was eight thousand three hundred and thirteen Continental troops, and two thousand seven hundred and seventeen militia. There were, in

CYTILOMMY

addition, seven hundred and fifty Continental troops at Red Bank and Fort Mifflin, and a detachment of three hundred militia on their way to reinforce those posts. A body of five hundred militia under General Potter was likewise on the other side of the Schuylkill.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30.

At Whitpain: A general court-martial, of which General Sullivan was President, was held at the Whitpain headquarters, the 25th, 26th, 27th, and 30th of October, for the trial of Brigadier-General Wayne, on the following charge:

"That he had timely notice of the enemy's intention, to attack the troops under his command, on the night of the 20th of Sept. last [at Paoli], and notwithstanding that intelligence, neglected making a disposition, until it was too late either to annoy the enemy, or make retreat, without the utmost danger and confusion.

"The Court, having fully considered the charge against Brigadier Gen' Wayne, and the evidence produced to them, are unanimously of opinion that Gen' Wayne is not guilty of the charge exhibited against him, but that he, on the night of the 20th Ultimo, (that is of Sept last) did everything that could be expected from an active, brave, and vigilant officer, under the orders he then had. The Court do acquit him with the highest honor."

"The Commander in chief approves the Sentence."Orderly Book, November 1.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1.

At Whitpain: "At the request of Governor Clinton, I have transmitted a copy of his letter to me, giving an account of General Vaughan's expedition up the North River after the capture of Fort Montgomery, and of the destruction committed by his troops in burning Kingston and the houses and mills on the river."-Washington to the President of Congress.

Fort Montgomery, one of the early fortifications of the Hudson Highlands, finished in the spring of 1776, was about six miles above Stony

Point. It stood on a promontory on the upper side of a creek (Poplopen Kill), to the south of which was Fort Clinton. Both of these forts, taken by Sir Henry Clinton, October 6, were abandoned by order of General Howe on the 26th.

After removing the chevaux-de-frise at Fort Montgomery, the British passed up the river with several armed vessels commanded by Sir James Wallace, and a body of troops under General Vaughan. They burnt such shipping as they found in the river, and also houses and mills on the shore, and on the 15th of October, led on by General Vaughan himself, set fire to the village of Kingston. So complete was the destruction, that not more than one house escaped the flames.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2.

At Whitemarsh: "November 2d.-The army marched to Whitemarsh, about thirteen miles from Philadelphia."— Pickering's Journal.

Washington's head-quarters at Whitemarsh were at a large stone house, still standing, about one-half a mile east from Camp Hill Station on the North Pennsylvania Railroad, and twelve miles north of Philadelphia. The house, which faces south, is two and a half stories in height, eighty feet front and twenty-seven feet in depth; it was modernized in 1854, and a large wing, originally the dining hall, removed from the west end. Enough remains, however, of the old building, and is known about it, to determine the accuracy of the statement made by Lossing in 1848 (Field-Book, ii. 114), that, "at the time of the Revolution, it was a sort of baronial hall in size and character when Elmar [Emlen], its wealthy owner, dispensed hospitality to all who came under its roof." The house with ninety-two acres is now (since 1857) owned and occupied by Charles T. Aiman. Camp Hill, on which part of the left wing of the army was posted, is directly in the rear of the house.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4.

At Whitemarsh: "Head-quarters at George Emlen's, near Whitemarsh Church.-We expect very soon a large reinforcement from the northern army; in the mean time the General has moved to this camp, which though naturally pretty strong, he is strengthening."-Joseph Reed to Thomas Wharton, November 4.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5.

At Whitemarsh: "This morning a heavy cannonading