were forwarded to Maitland, to march without loss of time. Finding the fleet increased to a formida ble number, Provost assigned his alarm posts, and made every disposition to sustain an attack. On the 9th the whole fleet anchored off Tybee island, and landed some troops on the south-east side of it, to attack the British post on the rear, and four light frigates passed over the bar. Finding the position on Tybee too hazardous to be maintained, Moncrief spiked the guns, embarked the troops, and retreated to Savannah. The ships Foway, Rose, Kepple, and Germain; the Comet galley and some other small vessels, weighed anchor and stood up to Five-fathom-hole. After general Provost had retreated from South-Carolina, the command of the American cavalry had been confided to count Pulaski, who had taken post on the ridge, fifty miles north-east from Augusta, for the convenience of obtaining forage and provisions, and to be within easy march of Charleston or Augusta, as occasion might require. Pulaski was ordered to join general M'Intosh at Augusta, and M'Intosh was ordered to march with the infantry and cavalry, toward Savannah, in advance of the army under general Lincoln; to attack the British out-posts, and open a communication with the French troops upon the sea shore. General M'Intosh pressed forward on Savannah, and before the enemy was apprized of his approach, Pulaski cut off one of their piquets; killed and wounded five men, and captured a subaltern and five privates: he opened the communication to the sea shore, and general M'Intosh advanced toward Ogechee ferry. They had seve. ral skirmishes with the enemy's out-posts, before they joined the French troops at Beaulieu. So soon as a body of the French troops had landed, general M'Intosh returned, and halted at Millen's plantation, three miles from Savannah, to wait the arrival of general Lincoln. On the 10th of September, lieutenant-colonel Cruger, with his detachment from Sunbury, reached Savannah. On the 11th, the British landed all the cannon from the armed vessels, except such as were deemed necessary to defend the channel, and mounted them on the batteries. The engineers were making every possible exertion to strengthen the works: twelve hundred white men and negroes, were constantly employed; several new redoubts and batteries were constructed; the moats deepened, and the abatis strengthened. On the 12th, in the evening, some small French vessels passed the bars into Oseba and Warsaw sounds, and landed some troops at Beaulieu and Thunderbolt, without opposition: the 13th, 14th, and 15th were spent in landing troops, artillery, ammunition, provisions, and intrenching tools and on the 16th, count D'Estaing advanc ed within three miles of the town, and demanded a surrender. "Count D'Estaing summons his excellency, general Provost, to surrender to the arms of the king of France. He apprizes him, that he will be personally responsible for all the events and misfortunes that may arise from a defence, which by the superiority of the force, which attacks him, both by sea and land, is rendered manifestly vain and of no effect. "He gives notice to him, also, that any reso lutions he may venture to come to, either before the attack, in the course of it, or at the moment of the assault, of setting fire to the shipping and small craft belonging to the army, or the mer. chants in the river Savannah, as well as to all the magazines in the town, will be imputable to him only. "The situation of Hospital-hill, in the Grena das, the strength of the three intrenchments and stone redoubts which defended it, and the comparative disposition of the troops before the town of Savannah, with the single detachment which carried the Grenadas by assault, should be a lesson to futurity. Humanity obliges the count D'Estaing to recall this event to his memory; having so done, he has nothing to reproach him. self with. "Lord Macartney had the good fortune to es cape from the first transport of troops, who enter ed a town sword in hand; but notwithstanding the most valuable effects were deposited in a place, supposed by all the officers and engineers to be im pregnable, count D'Estaing could not have the happiness of preventing their being pillaged. "Camp before Savannah, September 16, 1779. D'ESTAING." MAJOR-GENERAL PROVOST'S ANSWER. "SIR-I am now honoured with your excel. lency's letter, of this date, containing a summon for me to surrender this town to the arms of his majesty the king of France, which I had just delayed to answer, till I had shown it to the king's civil governor. "I hope your excellency will have a better opinion of me, and of British troops, than to think either will surrender on general summons, without any specific terms. "If you, Sir, have any to propose, that may with honour be accepted of by me, you can mention them, both with regard to civil and military, and I will then give my answer: in the mean time I will promise upon my honour, that nothing with my knowledge or consent shall be destroyed in either this town or river. 1 have the honour to be, &c. A. PROVOST." COUNT D'ESTAING TO GENERAL PROVOST. 66 Camp before Savannah, September 16, 1779. "SIR-I have just received your excellency's answer, to the letter I had the honour of writing to you this morning. You are sensible that it is the part of the besieged to propose such terms as they. may desire, and you cannot doubt of the satisfac tion I shall have in consenting to those which I can accept consistently with my duty. "I am informed that you continue intrenching yourself, which is a matter of very little importance to me; however, for form sake, I must desire you will desist during our conferences. "The different columns which I ad ordered to stop will continue their march, but without approaching your posts, or reconnoitring your situation. I have the honour to be, &c. D'ESTAING.", "P. S. I apprize your excellency that I have not been able to refuse the army of the UnitedStates uniting itself with that of the king. The junction will probably be effected this day. If I have not an answer immediately, you must confer in future with general Lincoln and myself." GENERAL PROVOST TO COUNT D'ESTAING. "Savannah, September 16, 1779. "SIR-I am honoured with your excellency's letter in reply to mine of this day. "The business we have on hand being of im portance, there being various interests to discuss, a just time is absolutely necessary to deliberate. I am therefore to propose, that a suspension of hostilities shall take place for twenty-four hours from this date, and to request that your excellency will direct your columns to fall back to a greater distance, and out of sight of our works, or I shall think myself under a necessity to direct their being fired upon. If they did not reconnoitre any |