Excerpt from Remarks of Wilmot G. Desaussure, President, to the State Society of the Cincinnati of South Carolina, on 20th October, 1884

The colonies were, by this evacuation, relieved of the presence of the British. But in the mean time, the British Government was endeavoring, among the Highlander set tlements of North Carolina, to embody troops with a View to the preservation and restoration of Royal authority in that Province. Governor Martin (the Royal Governor) held out such representations that in consequence of these representations, the Fifteenth, Twenty-eighth, Thirty-third, Thirty-seventh, Fifty-fourth, and Fifty-seventh Regiments, with seven companies of the Forty-sixth Regiment, em barked from Cork, on 12th February, 1776, under the com mand of Lord Cornwallis, in several transports, under the convoy of Sir Peter Parker, (stedman.) On 3d May, 1776, these arrived in the Cape Fear River, and General Clinton took command. General Clinton's orders were to try if any of the Southern Provinces would take up arms in favor of Britain; in which case he was to have left a body of troops to assist these loyalists; but he was instructed to repair with the remainder of the troops to New York harbor by such time as it was possible that the commander in-chief would arrive from Halifax, to begin the great operations for that campaign. (stedman) General Clinton, pursuing the general purpose of his instructions, on 28th June, 1776, engaged Fort Moultriejand was driven out of Charleston harbor, and from the Southern States. On 218t (july) the army sailed for New York, under the convoy of the Solebay frigate, the rest of the fleet being under the necessity of remaining to refit. Thus ended an expedition from which the friends of government had pre dicted the most beneficial consequences. (stedman.) On 29th June, 1776, the British army, which, with the reinforcements brought from England, amounted, with the tr00ps already in America, to near men, began to rendezvous at Sandy Hook. To oppose this force, which was again reinforced shortly after, General Wrashington had less than troops of all descriptions, very many of whom were unarmed: and at no time during the opera tions around New York did his army exceed It is not wonderful then, that, outnumbered by two to one, and the outnumbering army supplied with the best arms and appliances then known in warfare, and with the army aided by a powerful fleet co-operating. On a water field admirably fitted for its use, that the Continental army was obliged to evacuate New York, and place itself in position along the Hudson river. The British plan of the campaign of the years 1776 and 1777 seems'to have been to Operate by the Hudson, so as to separate the New England Provinces from the Middle and Southern, doubtless with the intent to turn either to the right or left, as circumstances should develop, and so destroy the American army in detail. It is accor dingly found that the rest of 1776 was given to such plan and to threats through New Jersey, upon Philadelphia, where the Continental Congress held its sessions. The year 1777 found this plan being still carried out, while Burgoyne was marching from Canada towards New York. Lord Howe was endeavoring to penetrate up the Hudson, so as to make a junction with him, the effect of which would have been just what seems to have been the strategic design.

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