The third day of May we cast anchor in the harbor of Cape Fear, in North Carolina, as did sir Peter Parker's ship, of fifty guns, a little back of the bar; for there was not depth of water for him to come into the harbor: These two men of war, and fourteen sail of transports and others, came after, so that most of the fleet rendezvoused at cape Fear, for three weeks. The soldiers on board the transports were sickly, in consequence of so long a passage; add to this, the small pox carried off many of them. They landed on the main, and formed a camp; but the riflemen annoyed them, and caused them to move to an island in the harbor; but such cursing of riflemen I never heard.

A detachment of regulars was sent up Brunswick river; as they landed, they were fired on by those marksmen, and they came back next day damning the rebels for their unmanly way of fighting, and swearing that they would give no quarter, for they took sight at them, and were behind timber, skulking about. One of the detachments said they lost one man; but a negro man who was with them, and heard what was said, soon after told me that he helped to bury thirty-one of them. this did me some good to find my countrymen giving them battle; for I never heard such a swaggering as among gen Clinton's little army, who commanded at that time; and I am apt to think there were four thousand men, though not two thirds of them fit for duty. I heard numbers of them say, that the trees in America should hang well with fruit that campaign, for they would give no quarter. This was in the mouths of most who I heard speak on the subject, officer as well as soldier. I wished at that time my countrymen knew, as well as I did, what a murdering and cruel enemy they had to deal with; but experience has since taught this country, what they are to expect at the hands of Britons when in their power.

The prisoners, who had been sent on board different men of war at the cove of Cork, were collected together, and the whole of them put on board the Mercury frigate, capt. James Montague, except one of the Canadians, who died on the passage from Ireland, and Peter Noble, who made his escape from the Sphynx man-of-war in this harbor, and, by extraordinary swiming, got safe home to New-England, and gave intelligence of the usage of his brother prisoners. The Mercury set sail from this port for Halifax, about the 20th of May,² and Sir Peter Parker was about to sail with the land forces, under the command of gen. Clinton, for the reduction of Charleston, the capital of South-Carolina, and when I heard of his defeat in Halifax, it gave me inexpressible satisfaction.