The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 1 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 1 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
the enemy had come to an anchor at Westover that morning. We then knew
that this, and not Petersburg was their object, and began to carry
across the river everything remaining here, and to remove what had
been transported to the foundry and laboratory to Westham, the nearest
crossing, seven miles above this place, which operation was continued
till they had approached very near. They marched from Westover at
two o'clock in the afternoon of the 4th, and entered Richmond at one
o'clock in the afternoon of the 5th. A regiment of infantry and about
thirty horse continued on, without halting, to the foundry. They burnt
that, the boring mill, the magazine and two other houses, and proceeded
to Westham; but nothing being in their power there, they retired to
Richmond. The next morning, they burned some buildings of public and
private property, with what stores remained in them, destroyed a great
quantity of private stores, and about twelve o'clock, retired towards
Westover, where they encamped within the neck the next day.
The loss sustained is not yet accurately known. As far as I have
been able to discover, it consisted, at this place, of about three
hundred muskets, some soldiers' clothing to a small amount, some
quarter-master's stores, of which one hundred and twenty sides of
leather was the principal article, part of the artificers' tools, and
three wagons. Besides which, five brass four pounders which we had
sunk in the river, were discovered to them, raised and carried off. At
the foundry we lost the greater part of the papers belonging to the
Auditor's office, and of the books and papers of the Council office.
About five or six tons of powder, as we conjecture, was thrown into the
canal, of which there will be a considerable saving by re-manufacturing
it. The roof of the foundry was burned, but the stacks of chimneys and
furnaces not at all injured. The boring mill was consumed. Within less
than forty-eight hours from the time of their landing, and nineteen
from our knowing their destination, they had penetrated thirty-three
miles, done the whole injury, and retired. Their numbers, from the best
intelligence I have had, are about fifteen hundred infantry; and, as
to their cavalry, accounts vary from fifty to one hundred and twenty;
the whole commanded by the parricide Arnold. Our militia, dispersed
over a large tract of country, can be called in but slowly. On the
day the enemy advanced to this place, two hundred only were embodied.
They were of this town and its neighborhood, and were too few to
do anything. At this time they are assembled in pretty considerable
numbers on the south side of James River, but are not yet brought to a
point. On the north side are two or three small bodies, amounting in
the whole, to about nine hundred men. The enemy were at four o'clock
yesterday evening still remaining in their encampment at Westover and
Berkeley neck. In the meanwhile, Baron Steuben, a zealous friend, has
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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