of a heavy fire
from his battery. They advanced in two columns to attack the outworks
in two places. As they advanced they were excessively galled by a
flanking fire from the American galleys and batteries, and by sharp
volleys from the outworks. The latter, however, as had been concerted,
were quickly abandoned by the garrison. The enemy entered at two
places, and imagining the day their own, the two columns pushed on
with shouts to storm different parts of the redoubt. As yet no troops
were to be seen; but as one of the columns approached the redoubt on
the north side, a tremendous discharge of grape-shot and musketry
burst forth from the embrasures in front, and a half-masked battery on
the left. The slaughter was prodigious; the column was driven back in
confusion. Count Donop, with the other column, in attempting the south
side of the redoubt, had passed the abatis when a similar tempest of
artillery and musketry burst upon them. Some were killed on the spot,
many were wounded, and the rest were driven out. Donop himself
received a mortal wound; Lieutenant-colonel Mingerode, the second in
command, was also dangerously wounded. Several other of the best
officers were slain or disabled. The troops retreated in confusion,
hotly pursued, and were again cut up in their retreat by the flanking
fire from the galleys and floating batteries. The loss of the enemy in
killed and wounded, in this brief but severe action, was about four
hundred men; that of the Americans, eight killed and twenty-nine
wounded.

According to the plan of the enemy, Fort Mifflin, opposite to Fort
Mercer, was to have been attacked at the same time by water. The force
employed was the Augusta of sixty-four guns, the Roebuck of
forty-four, two frigates, the Merlin sloop of eighteen guns, and a
galley. They forced their way through the lower line of
chevaux-de-frise; but the Augusta and Merlin ran aground below the
second line, and every effort to get them off proved fruitless. To
divert attention from their situation, the other vessels drew as near
to Fort Mifflin as they could, and opened a cannonade. They kept up a
fire upon the fort throughout the evening, and recommenced it early in
the morning, as did likewise the British batteries on the Pennsylvania
shore; hoping that under cover of it the ships might be got off. A
strong adverse wind, however, kept the tide from rising sufficiently
to float them.

The Americans discovered their situation, a