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.

PART II.] THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 185
The inquiries, directed in the resolutions contained
in your letter of the 30th ultimo, respecting the loss
of the forts in the Highlands and of Fort Mifflin, I shall
order to be made, as soon as circumstances will admit.
These, however, it is probable, will not be effected in a
short time, from the situation of our affairs and inevitable
necessity. On Thursday morning we marched from
our old encampment, and intended to pass the Schuylkill at Matson's Ford, where a bridge had been laid
across the river. When the first division and a part
of the second had passed, they found a body of the
enemy, consisting, from the best accounts we have
been able to obtain, of four thousand men, under Lord
Cornwallis, possessing themselves of the heights on
both sides of the road leading from the river and the
defile called the Gulf, which I presume are well
known to some part of your honorable body. This
unexpected event obliged such of our troops, as had
crossed, to repass, and prevented our getting over till
the succeeding night. This manceuvre on the part of
the enemy was not in consequence of any information
they had of our movement, but was designed to secure
the pass whilst they were foraging in the neighbouring
country. They were met in their advance by General Potter, with part of the Pennsylvania militia, who
behaved with bravery and gave them every possible
opposition, till he was obliged to retreat from their superior numbers. Had we been an hour sooner, or had
the least information of the measure, I am persuaded
we should have given his Lordship a fortunate stroke,
or obliged him to return without effecting his purpose,
or drawn out all General Howe's force to support
him. Our first intelligence was, that it was all out.
Lord Cornwallis collected a good deal of forage, and
returned to the city the night we passed the river. No
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