.

"During this state of hostility, Lord Dunmore procured a few soldiers
from different parts, with whose assistance an attempt (Oct. 25th) was
made to burn a post town in an important situation called Hampton. It
seems the inhabitants had some previous suspicion of the design, for
they had sunk boats in the entrance of the harbour and thrown such other
obstacles in the way as rendered the approach of the ships, and
consequently a landing, impracticable on the day when the attack was
commenced. The ships cut a passage through the boats in the night, and
began to cannonade the town furiously in the morning; but at this
critical period the townspeople were relieved from their apprehensions
and danger by the arrival of a detachment of rifle and minute men from
Williamsburg, who had marched all night to their assistance. These,
joined with the inhabitants, attacked the ships so vigorously with their
small arms that they were obliged precipitately to quit their station,
with the loss of some men and of a tender, which was taken." (Annual
Register, Vol. XIX., Fourth Edition, pp. 26, 27.)]

[Footnote 381: English Annual Register, Vol. XIX.]

[Footnote 382: British Annual Register, Vol. XIX., p. 31.

Mr. Bancroft's account of this barbarous conflagration is as follows:

"New Year's day, 1776, was the saddest day that ever broke on the women
and children then in Norfolk; warned of their danger by the commander of
the squadron, there was for them no refuge. The _Kingfisher_ was
stationed at the upper end of Norfolk; a little below her, the _Otter_;
Belew, in the _Liverpool_, anchored near the middle of the town; and
next him lay the _Dunmore_; the rest of the fleet was moored in the
harbour. Between three and four in the afternoon, the _Liverpool_ opened
its fire upon the borough; the other ships immediately followed the
example, and a severe cannonade was begun from about sixty pieces of
cannon. Dunmore then himself, as night was coming on, ordered out
several boats to burn warehouses on the wharves; and hailed to Belew to
set fire to a large brig which lay in the dock. All the vessels of the
fleet, to show their zeal, sent great numbers of boats on shore to
assist in spreading the flames along the river; and as the buildings
were chiefly of pine wood, the conflagration, favoured by the wind,
spread with amazing rapidity, and soon became general. Women and
children, mothers with little ones in their arms, were seen by the gl