EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM AN OFFICER OF THE NEW-YORK FORCES, DATED AT ST. JOHN’S, NOV. 3, 1775.

I have the pleasure to inform you that I had the honour of marching into and taking possession of this fortress, at the head of my Company, and about two hundred men from the different corps of which our Army is composed, about nine o’clock this morning; when the garrison, consisting of about six hundred men, marched out and grounded their arms on the plains, to the westward of the fort, (agreeable to the terms of the enclosed capitulation, ) and were immediately embarked in batteaus for Captain Mead’s encampment, and from thence to be sent, under guard, as speedily as possible, for Ticonderoga, Connecticut, or any other place which the Continental Congress may direct. I most sincerely congratulate you on this most fortunate event; which, in my opinion, will be a most fatal stab to the hellish machinations of the foes of freedom, as it will facilitate the reduction of Canada, and secure the Canadians in our favour. We have taken in the fort a considerable quantity of military stores; among which are seventeen pieces of excellent brass artillery, two of them twenty-four pounders, the rest of them field-pieces, two royal howitzers, several mortars, cohorns, and a considerable number of iron cannon. There were in the garrison about five hundred regular troops; the rest were composed of Canadian volunteers, among whom are many of their noblesse; who, I believe, are (from appearance) on the stool of repentance. And as you may be fond of knowing how we have proceeded, in carrying on the siege of this place since my last, I will give you a detail of the particular operations since that period.

On Saturday, the 28th ultimo, the main body of the Army decamped from the south, and marched to the north side of the fort, under the command of General Wooster. We were joined in the evening by General Montgomery, and the same night we began to throw up a breastwork, (on an eminence which entirely commanded the enemy’s works, ) in order to erect a battery of cannon and mortars; this battery they kept continually pelting at with grapeshot and shells, but without doing us the least injury, until Wednesday morning, when we opened our battery, consisting of three twelve and one nine-pounders, three mortars, and as many cohorns, with which we kept an almost incessant blaze on them great part of the day, and likewise from our battery on the east side of the river, which the enemy returned with the greatest spirit. Late in the afternoon, I received a message from General Montgomery, ordering me to cease firing till further orders; these orders were extremely disagreeable to me, when I saw some of my men bleeding before my eyes, and dying with the wounds which they had received. On our ceasing to fire, the General ordered a parley to be beat, and sent in an officer to demand a surrender of the fort. Two officers soon after returned with him, and were led blindfold through the camp to the General’s tent, where a pretty long conference was held, and they promised the General an answer from the commanding officer next morning; which promise was complied with. The answer imported, that if they should receive no relief within four days, he would then send in some proposals. The General replied, that he must have an explicit answer next morning, and the garrison must remain prisoners of war, at all events; and that if they had any intention to renew hostilities, they need only signify it by firing a gun, as a signal. This, though very unpalatable, they were at length obliged to digest, as you see by the capitulation.

You will readily excuse the incorrectness of this scroll, when I inform you it is now past one o’clock in the morning, having had no time to write before, as I have been all day at the fort, examining the stores, and we are to begin our march for Montreal this morning, and my fingers and senses are so benumbed with cold, that I can scarcely write at all, owing to a northeasterly wind and plenty of snow, which is now falling in abundance; yet, notwithstanding, I am not so senseless or ungrateful as to forget my friend.

I am yours, &c., &c.

P. S. My little Company has been rather unfortunate, as I have had five killed—four by the enemy, and one by accident—six wounded, one died by sickness; which is as great a loss as has been sustained by the whole Army, except in the first skirmish with the Indians, &c.; but this is what we must naturally expect, as the post of honour ever is the post of danger.

EXTRACT OF ANOTHER LETTER FROM FORT ST. JOHN’S, DATED NOVEMBER 3, 1775.

The 28th ultimo the remainder of our Army on the southwest side of the fort, of which our Regiment composed a part, marched round St. John’s, to the north side of it, and encamped there with the main body.

October 29th. I went, in the evening, with two hundred men, and completed a battery within two hundred and fifty yards of the fort; the fort kept a continual fire upon us all night.

October 30th. Four guns and six mortars were mounted on the battery.

October 31st. The Army busily employed in preparing for a cannonade and an assault, if necessary. This day we received news that seven hundred of our men, near Longueil, about eighteen miles from hence, had repulsed Governour Carleton, who intended to raise the siege of St. John’s, with eight hundred men. Our Green Mountain Boys did this business. The Governour had twenty-five men killed and fifty wounded, besides several taken prisoners; among whom are two Indians. Carleton retreated to Montreal.

November 1st. Our gun and mortar battery on this side, and the four-gun battery on the east side, kept an incessant fire all day on the garrison, and the garrison kept up a very brisk fire. In the evening General Montgomery sent a flag into the fort, with a letter to Major Preston, by one of the prisoners taken at Longeuil, informing him of Carleton’s defeat, and that he had now no longer any reason to flatter himself with relief from that quarter; and that, therefore, to prevent the further effusion of blood, which a fruitless and obstinate defence would cause, he recommended to him a surrender of the fort. Major Preston, in return to General Montgomery’s letter, sent Captain Stewart, of the Twenty-Sixth, with a drum into our camp; that the General should have a full answer to his letter in the morning; that, in the mean time, hostilities should cease on both sides.

November 2d. Captain Stewart and Captain Williams, of the train, came, about eight o’clock in the morning, with a flag into our camp with an answer from Major Preston to General Montgomery’s letter of yesterday, requesting of the General to wait four days, to see whether no relief could come to the garrison in that time; if not, that then they would make proposals for a surrender. The General returned an answer that, from the advanced season of the year, he could not give the garrison the time it requested, and that they must immediately surrender prisoners of war; otherwise, that if any fatal consequences should ensue from their needless defence in the weak state they were in, they must charge themselves with it.

The General also referred them, for the truth of Carleton’s defeat, to another prisoner on board of our sloop, whom they might have access to to examine; and that when they chose, to renew hostilities, they should give a signal, by firing a cannon without ball. In the evening the above gentlemen returned into our camp from the fort, with articles of capitulation, some of which were agreed to by us, others rejected; which, as amended, were sent back to the fort, and agreed to—the sum of which were, that the garrison should march out of the fort to-morrow morning, with the honours of war, and then lay down their arms, be prisoners of war, and be sent to Connecticut. The articles of capitulation will be published by authority; to which I must refer you. A great quantity of military stores are taken, the detail of which is not yet ascertained; about six hundred men made prisoners. This day, detachments from every Regiment in our Army took possession of the fort, and the prisoners are embarked for the place of their destination.

JOHN BROWN TO GENERAL WASHINGTON

Providence, November 3, 1775.

DEAR SIR: I having a vessel arrived at Norwich, from Surinam, which having brought a small quantity of powder, viz: forty-four casks, containing a half hundred each, I