The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

244 LIFE OF WASHINGTON. [1777.
dications of his designs for the campaign. His reinforcements from Europe arrived later, and in smaller
numbers, than he anticipated; and he was obliged to
curtail the plans, which he had suggested to the ministry the preceding autumn.
That he might not seem to be idle, he sent up the
Sound a detachment of two thousand men under Governor Tryon, who landed in Connecticut, marched into
the country, and destroyed the public stores at Danbury. They were bravely met by the militia and a few
Continental troops, who harassed them on their march,
and pursued them back to their boats. In the rencounters with the enemy on their retreat, General
Wooster and General Arnold were wounded. The
former died of his wounds.
At length General Howe enlarged his force at Brunswic, and began to build a bridge there, so constructed
as to be laid on flat-boats, which it was supposed he
intended to transport over land to the Delaware, and use
in crossing that river. Meantime General Washington
collected at Morristown the troops, which had been
enlisted into the new army in Virginia and the middle
States, and ordered those from the eastward to assemble at Peekskill on the Hudson. The want of arms,
hitherto severely felt, was opportunely supplied by the
arrival of two vessels from France, containing twentyfour thousand muskets.
Near the end of May he drew his main army to a
very strong position at Middlebrook, only nine miles
from Brunswic, and prepared to contest the passage
of the enemy, should they attempt to move towards
the Delaware. On the 13th of June, the British army
marched from Brunswic, commanded by Sir William
Howe in person, and stretched itself several miles into
the country, well fortified on the right at Brunswic,