A complete history of the Marquis de Lafayette, major-general in the American army in the war of the revolution. Embracing an account of his tour through the United States, to the time of his departure, September, 1825. By an officer in the late army.

96 HISTORY OF THE
enemy. Providentially, the French possessed, at this moment, the superiority on the sea, the British having suffered
severely in a storm off Long Island. The French Admiral
sent an inefficient force to the Chesapeake under M. de Tilly,
who, discovering his inability to execute the expected service,
Immediately returned to Newport.
In the mean-time, General Washington had detached the
Marquis de Lafayette, with a corps of twelve hundred light
infantry, drafted from the lines of New-England and NewJersey, for the purpose of marching to the head of Elk,
there to embark for that part of Virginia which was become
the theatre of action, under convoy of a French frigate
which he expected to obtain from the admiral. The commander-in-chief himself hastened to Newport to use his
personal exertions to facilitate the execution of the enterprise; and it was determined that a detachment of the
French army, then in readiness, should be embarked under
the Count de Viominil. Two days after the fleet had sailed,
it was followed by the British admiral, and a partial engagement ensued off the Capes of Virginia, which continued about
an hour. A council of war was called the next day, and it
being decided that it was unadviseable to renew the action, the
French vessels returned to Newport.
During these operations, General Lafayette had embarked
his detachment at the head of Elk, and proceeded with it to
Annapolis, in Maryland, where he waited for a frigate from
the French squadron to convoy it to Virginia. The rencontre of the fleets, and the return of the French admiral
to Newport, having rendered the object of the expedition
unattainable, Lafayette re-embarked his detachment, and returned to the head of Elk, *here he received orders to join
the southern army.
Thus Arnold escaped from, probably, the most -imminent
danger in which he had ever been involved. Had the