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.

258 LIFE OF WASHINGTON. [1777.
as to reach their guards before they had notice of our
coming; and, if it had not been for a thick fog, which
rendered it so dark at times that we were not able to
distinguish friend from foe at the distance of thirty
yards, we should, I believe, have made a decisive and
glorious day of it. But Providence designed it otherwise; for, after we had driven the enemy a mile or two,
after they were in the utmost confusion and flying before us in most places, after we were upon the point,
as it appeared to everybody, of grasping a complete
victory, our own troops took fright and fled with precipitation and disorder. How to account for this, I
know not; unless, as I before observed, the fog represented their own friends to them for a reinforcement of
the enemy, as we attacked in different quarters at the
same time, and were about closing the wings of our
army when this happened. One thing, indeed, contributed not a little to our misfortune, and that was a
want of ammunition on the right wing, which began
the engagement, and in the course of two hours and
forty minutes, which time it lasted, had, many of them,
expended the forty rounds, that they took into the field.
After the engagement we removed to a place about
twenty miles from the enemy, to collect our forces
together, to take care of our wounded, get furnished
with necessaries again, and be in a better posture,
either for offensive or defensive operations. We are
now advancing towards the enemy again, being at this
time within twelve miles of them.
"Our loss in the late action was, in killed, wounded,
and missing, about one thousand men, but, of the missing, many, I dare say, took advantage of the times, and
deserted. General Nash of North Carolina was wounded, and died two or three days after. Many valuable
officers of ours were also wounded, and some killed.