d yards, which immediately
threw the half the Battn, so far to the rear as to render it very
difficult to join without sustaining great loss, for presently after
we left our camp we discovered the Enemie's horse & foot to the number
of four or five Thousand in our front, and as we could discover
nothing of the first Battn, the Enemy being vastly superior to us
in Number, I immediately ordered the Battn to gain a Wood to the
left and then formed, but seeing a Number of Artillerymen dragging a
brass field-piece & Howit through a clear field in order to gain a
wood a little to the left of our Front, and knowing the Enemy were
also in our rear, I ordered that part of the Battn which was then
with me, to proceed to the second wood, & cover the Artillery and make
a stand, but the New England Regt aforementioned coming up with us,
and running thro' our files broke them, and in the confusion many of
our men run with them. I did all in my power to rally the musquetry &
Riflemen, but to no purpose, so that when we came to engage the Enemy,
I had not fifty men, notwithstanding which, we after about three
Rounds, caused the Enemy to retire, and as the Enemy's main body was
then nearly between us and the lines, I retreated to the lines, having
lost out of the whole Battalion, about one hundred men, officers
included, which, as they were much scattered, must be chiefly
prisoners; during this time, four or five Reg'ts, among which were our
musquetry & flying Camp, Delaware & Maryland Reg'ts, and some of our
Riflemen who had joined them, were engaged to the left of us and right
of the Lines. I had no sooner got into the Lines than the Enemy
advanced up to them and kept up a brisk fire on us, but only one man
killed in the Lines; as soon as we returned the fire with our rifles
and musquetry, they retreated, and if we had been provided with a
field piece or two, of which we had a sufficient number elsewhere, we
might have killed the greater part of their advance party; as soon as
the Enemy were beaten from the lines, I was ordered to a point about a
mile and a-half to the right, to cover the retreat of the Delaware
Battalion and the other Troops that might come over under the constant
fire of the Enemie's field pieces and Howits; here I remained 'till
almost night before I was relieved, notwithstanding the Generals there
had a number of Reg'ts who were not engaged, and had had little or no
fatigue. Upon the whole, less Generalship never w