Montpelier. June 24th 1776.
[Extract]
Dr Sir/
You ask whether I ever saw a Letter so full of Queries. The Importance of the Subject would have justified more, but lest I sh[ould] equal their number in Lies, I shall in my answer confine myself to what I can vouch for Truth. I wrote you the 9th Instant when I informed you that Seven of the Fleet had come over the Bar. In the course of the following week they all got in, excepting the Bristol of Fifty Guns, which still lies without Amongst the number of those that have got in is a large East India Man, mounting Forty Guns, wh for some time was mistaken for the Bristol. They have not made any formal attack yet. The slowness of their operation affords a deal of speculation. They have landed Seven Hundred men on Long Island, from wh place three Deserters have come in to Charles Town; they inform, that they have not more than seven & twenty hundred men at the extent; that they are very sickly: & that most of them are disposed to desert if opportunity offers. I have not heard any further particulars they relate. There seems to be no doubt that it is the same Fleet wh was at North Carolina consisting of the Bristol of Fifty Guns, the Acteon of Twenty Eight, the Sphynx of Twenty & 2 or 3 others. Sir Peter Parker the Admiral, & the Gens [Henry] Clinton & [Charles] Cornwallis, the Commanders of the Land Forces. Gen: [Charles] Lee will I hope be made use of as an Instrument in the Hands of Providence of saving Charles Town. He has put it into an exceedingly good Posture of Defence. He is intimately acquanted with Clinton having been upon service with him ー He says that he knows him to be a dam'd Fool & that he will now make him sensible of it himself. He says also that if he does not come on soon, he will send him a Challenge. We have Seventeen Hundred men at Haddrell's Point under the command of General [John] Armstrong & Seven Hundred men on Sullivan's Island by wh you may judge whether it is not to be defended. General Lee is of Opinion that their scheme is to get over from Long Island to Haddrell's Point, in order to have Footing upon the Main, & then to erect the Royal Standard, wh is the reason of his garrisoning it so Strongly, but with submission to his superior Judgment, I rather think that their Intention is to attack Sullivan's Island both Front & Rear at once. On their sending their first reconniotering upon Long Island one of their men was shot by one of our Riflemen. He was dressed in Red laced with Black, and had a Cockade & Feather in his Hat, & a sword by his side. By which it appears that he was an Officer; but that is all we know about him....
On Saturday Sennight past our Sentry on Coles Island descried a sloop coming in to Stono Inlet which they judged to be one of the British Fleet. An Alarm was immediately fired, & we all repaired to our alarm Posts. but it proved to be a Sloop from St Eustatia one Francis Morgan commander with 300 Barrels of Powder 20 chests of Cartridges, several hundred stands of Arms ー 90 hogsheads of Rum, a quantity of Sugar, Gin &c. It unfortunately got aground on the Bar & the crew despairing of getting her off quitted her. She wore off in the night & drifted by Morning within sight of the Men of War. They immediately manned 8 boats & sent & set her on fire. The explosion was prodigious. It would have been much greater but she had 5 feet of water in her Hold; wh had damaged a great deal of Powder...One day the week before last, a Hat was taken up off Simmon's Island by some persons going in a Boat to Town & carried to the President. It was a Cocked Jockey fashion, laced with gold, had a cockade & Feather in it, & on the inside of the Crown Lord Rawdon's name in Capitals. This is the Villain that was coming out a volunteer against America. By the Pres: orders, Capt [James] Ladsen with a Detachment of his company went down to Simmons' Isl to search the Beach where they found the Quarter galleries & several parts of a large new ship also two new Flat bottomed Boats one of wh[ich] is capable of carrying 30 bbls Rice & the other 25. So that in all Probability Lord Rawdon has met with a Fate wh I think he merited for engaging in such nefarious Service.
To Isaac Hayne at Hayne Hall per Fellow Maurice