WASHINGTON AT WHITE MARSH—MEASURES TO CUT OFF THE ENEMY’S SUPPLIES—THE
FORTS ON THE DELAWARE REINFORCED—COLONEL GREENE OF RHODE ISLAND AT
FORT MERCER—ATTACK AND DEFENCE OF THAT FORT—DEATH OF COUNT DONOP.
Washington remained a few days at Perkiomen Creek, to give his army time
to rest, and recover from the disorder incident to a retreat. Having
been reinforced by the arrival of twelve hundred Rhode Island troops
from Peekskill, under General Varnum, and nearly a thousand Virginia,
Maryland, and Pennsylvania troops, he gradually drew nearer to
Philadelphia, and took a strong position at White Marsh, within fourteen
miles of that city. By a resolution of Congress, all persons taken
within thirty miles of any place occupied by British troops, in the act
of conveying supplies to them, were subjected to martial law. Acting
under the resolution, Washington detached large bodies of militia to
scour the roads above the city, and between the Schuylkill and Chester,
to intercept all supplies going to the enemy.
On the forts and obstructions in the river, Washington mainly counted to
complete the harassment of Philadelphia. These defences had been
materially impaired. The works at Billingsport had been attacked and
destroyed, and some of the enemy’s ships had forced their way through
the chevaux-de-frise placed there. The American frigate Delaware,
stationed in the river between the upper forts and Philadelphia, had run
aground before a British battery, and been captured.
It was now the great object of the Howes to reduce and destroy, and of
Washington to defend and maintain, the remaining forts and obstructions.
Fort Mifflin, which we have already mentioned, was erected on a low,
green, reedy island in the Delaware, a few miles below Philadelphia, and
below the mouth of the Schuylkill. It consisted of a strong redoubt,
with extensive outworks and batteries. There was but a narrow channel
between the island and the Pennsylvania shore. The main channel,
practicable for ships, was on the other side. In this were sunk strong
chevaux-de-frise, difficult either to be weighed or cut through, and
dangerous to any ships that might run against them; subjected as they
would be to the batteries of Fort Mifflin on one side, and on the other
to those of Fort Mercer, a strong work at Red Bank on the Jersey shore.
Fort Mifflin was garrisoned by troops of the Maryland line, under
Lieutenant-colonel Samuel Smith of Baltimore; and had kept up a brave
defence against batteries erected by the enemy on the Pennsylvania
shore. A reinforcement of Virginia troops made the garrison between
three and four hundred strong.
Floating batteries, galleys, and fire-ships, commanded by Commodore
Hazelwood, were stationed under the forts and about the river.
Fort Mercer had hitherto been garrisoned by militia, but Washington now
replaced them by four hundred of General Varnum’s Rhode Island
Continentals. Colonel Christopher Greene was put in command; a brave
officer who had accompanied Arnold in his rough expedition to Canada,
and fought valiantly under the walls of Quebec. “The post with which you
are intrusted,” writes Washington in his letter of instructions, “is of
the utmost importance to America. The whole defence of the Delaware
depends upon it; and consequently all the enemy’s hopes of keeping
Philadelphia, and finally succeeding in the present campaign.”
Colonel Greene was accompanied by Captain Mauduit Duplessis, who was to
have the direction of the artillery. He was a young French engineer of
great merit, who had volunteered in the American cause, and received a
commission from Congress. The chevaux-de-frise in the river had been
constructed under his superintendence.
Greene, aided by Duplessis, made all haste to put Fort Mercer in a state
of defence; but before the outworks were completed, he was surprised
(October 22) by the appearance of a large force emerging from a wood
within cannon shot of the fort. Their uniforms showed them to be
Hessians. They were, in fact, four battalions twelve hundred strong of
grenadiers, picked men, beside light-infantry and chasseurs, all
commanded by Count Donop, who had figured in the last year’s campaign.
Colonel Greene, in nowise dismayed by the superiority of the enemy,
forming in glistening array before the wood, prepared for a stout
resistance. In a little while an officer was descried, riding slowly up
with a flag, accompanied by a drummer. Greene ordered his men to keep
out of sight, that the fort might appear but slightly garrisoned.
When within proper distance, the drummer sounded a parley, and the
officer summoned the garrison to surrender; with a threat of no quarter
in case of resistance.
Greene’s reply was, that the post would be defended to the last
extremity.
The flag rode back and made report. Forthwith the Hessians were seen at
work throwing up a battery within half a mile of the outworks. It was
finished by four o’clock, and opened a heavy cannonade, under cover of
which the enemy were preparing to approach.
As the American outworks were but half finished, and were too extensive
to be manned by the garrison, it was determined by Greene and Duplessis
that the troops should make but a short stand there; to gall the enemy
in their approach, and then retire within the redoubt, which was
defended by a deep intrenchment, boarded and fraised.
Donop led on his troops in gallant style, under cover of a heavy fire
from his battery. They advanced in two columns, to attack the outworks
in two places. As they advanced, they were excessively galled by a
flanking fire from the American galleys and batteries, and by sharp
volleys from the outworks. The latter, however, as had been concerted,
were quickly abandoned by the garrison. The enemy entered at two places,
and, imagining the day their own, the two columns pushed on with shouts
to storm different parts of the redoubt. As yet, no troops were to be
seen; but as one of the columns approached the redoubt on the north
side, a tremendous discharge of grape shot and musketry burst forth from
the embrasures in front, and a half-masked battery on the left. The
slaughter was prodigious; the column was driven back in confusion. Count
Donop, with the other column, in attempting the south side of the
redoubt, had passed the abatis; some of his men had traversed the fosse;
others had clambered over the pickets, when a similar tempest of
artillery and musketry burst upon them. Some were killed on the spot,
many were wounded, and the rest were driven out. Donop himself was
wounded, and remained on the spot; Lieutenant-colonel Mingerode, the
second in command, was also dangerously wounded. Several other of the
best officers were slain or disabled. Lieutenant-colonel Linsing, the
oldest remaining officer endeavored to draw off the troops in good
order, but in vain; they retreated in confusion, hotly pursued, and were
again cut up in their retreat by the flanking fire from the galleys and
floating batteries.
The loss of the enemy in killed and wounded, in this brief but severe
action, was about four hundred men. That of the Americans, eight killed
and twenty-nine wounded.
As Captain Mauduit Duplessis was traversing the scene of slaughter after
the repulse, he was accosted by a voice from among the slain: “Whoever
you are, draw me hence.” It was the unfortunate Count Donop. Duplessis
had him conveyed to a house near the fort, where every attention was
paid to his comfort. He languished for three days, during which
Duplessis was continually at his bedside. “This is finishing a noble
career early,” said the count sadly, as he found his death
approaching,—then, as if conscious of the degrading service in which he
had fallen, hired out by his prince to aid a foreign power in quelling
the brave struggle of a people for their liberty, and contrasting it
with that in which the chivalrous youth by his bedside was engaged—“I
die,” added he bitterly, “the victim of my ambition, and of the avarice
of my sovereign.”[97] He was but thirty-seven years of age at the time
of his death.
According to the plan of the enemy, Fort Mifflin, opposite to Fort
Mercer, was to have been attacked at the same time by water. The force
employed was the Augusta of sixty-four guns; the Roebuck of forty-four,
two frigates, the Merlin sloop of eighteen guns, and a galley. They
forced their way through the lower line of chevaux-de-frise; but the
Augusta and Merlin ran aground below the second line, and every effort
to get them off proved fruitless. To divert attention from their
situation, the other vessels drew as near to Fort Mifflin as they could,
and opened a cannonade; but the obstructions in the river had so altered
the channel that they could not get within very effective distance. They
kept up a fire upon the fort throughout the evening, and recommenced it
early in the morning, as did likewise the British batteries on the
Pennsylvania shore; hoping that under cover of it the ships might be got
off. A strong adverse wind, however, kept the tide from rising
sufficiently to float them.
The Americans discovered their situation, and sent down four fire-ships
to destroy them, but without effect. A heavy fire was now opened upon
them from the galleys and floating batteries. It was warmly returned. In
the course of the action, a red-hot shot set the Augusta on fire. It was
impossible to check the flames. All haste was made with boats to save
the crew, while the other ships drew off as fast as possible to get out
of the reach of the explosion. She blew up, however, while the second
lieutenant, the chaplain, the gunner, and several of the crew were yet
on board, most of whom perished. The Merlin was now set on fire and
abandoned; the Roebuck and the other vessels dropped down the river, and
the attack on Fort Mifflin was given up.
These signal repulses of the enemy had an animating effect on the public
mind, and were promptly noticed by Congress. Colonel Greene, who
commanded at Fort Mercer, Lieutenant-colonel Smith of Maryland, who
commanded at Fort Mifflin, and Commodore Hazelwood, who commanded the
galleys, received the thanks of that body; and subsequently, a sword was
voted to each, as a testimonial of distinguished merit.