Southold—Continued.

Southold—Continued.

FREDERICKSBURGH (DUTCHESS COUNTY, NEW-YORK) COMMITTEE TO GENERAL WASHINGTON.

Fredericksburgh, July 3, 1776.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY: Whereas at a meeting of the Committee of Fredericksburgh Precinct, July 3, 1776, a gentleman of character appeared before said Committee, and declared, voluntarily, that in a conversation with a disaffected person, he was told that the Ministerial party had a post ridden to the northward from New-York, to carry news, as constantly as the other posts; and that said post was lately gone to the northward, and that the fleet was not to do anything till he brought intelligence from the Ministerial Army in Canada; and as matters are now near a crisis, this Committee think themselves in duty bound to acquaint your Excellency of this intelligence, that every proper method may be taken to intercept all such communications. And as one Mr. Bennett, who has ridden for some time, (and is now gone to the northward,) and says he is employed by General Washington to carry news, is suspected, by his frequenting disaffected houses, riding back roads, &c., to be either treacherous or an impostor, and in case he is not an honest man, we think that he may carry letters to disaffected persons superscribed to your Excellency.

By order of the Committee:

ISAAC ELIOTT, Chairman.

To General Washington, New-York.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER DATED CROWN-POINT, JULY 3, 1776.

I wrote you last from the Sorel, immediately after the action of the 8th ultimo, near Trois Rivieres. I gave you a just account of it in my letter. We lost in the whole about two hundred and forty, amongst whom were Colonel Irvine and Lieutenant Eddie, of our regiment. We were a third part of the force in the engagement, and lost about a third of the men. The badness of the ground, great fatigue, and mistake of the way, prevented us from getting to the town at daybreak, otherwise we should have made one of the boldest attacks that late years have produced. The enemy, it is true, were treble our number; but we, being favoured with the surprise, and they unacquainted with our force, should have been very near carrying the place, or making an honourable exit, for it would have been conquer or die. Fate, however, determined otherwise. Our loss was considerable, and that of the enemy equal, if not greater. Something must have prevented them from acting with vigour, for had we been in their situation—possessing their advantages of artillery and shipping—we could have beat four times our number. We thought it prudent to retreat, in order to secure our boats, as we had no prospect of carrying the place, and made, I think, a good one, considering all things.

Just as I closed my last letter to you we heard the enemy’s cannon, and expected an attack at the Sorel; we prepared ourselves to receive them, but they did not approach that day. We had certain information that between five and ten thousand had arrived in Canada; that the greater part were in a few leagues of us; and that the Indians and Canadians, with some Regulars from near the Cedars, were preparing with a large body to take possession of a narrow part of the Lake, on this side St. Johns, and cut off our supplies of provisions and stores, while another part gets up the river St. Lawrence, and takes possession of Chambly. We had not above three thousand troops in Canada that were fit for duty, and a number equal to them were sick with the small-pox and other disorders, who, consuming the same quantity of provisions as the healthy, were a burden to us. We had