fine enough. The village is considerable, and the position of the camp, which is a mile and a half from it, was one of the most fortunate we had as yet occupied. Side Note.-March of 13 miles.

June 26-In the morning we went to Baron's Tavern; the day's march was not fatiguing; the roads were very fine.

June 27-We left in the morning for Breakneck, which we had the greatest difficulty in reaching. The roads being difficult because of the mountains, our artillery was greatly delayed, and only arrived at nightfall.

Side Note.-Breakneck is the English for Casse-cou; it well deserves the name from its difficult approach. The village is frightful and without resources. I noticed some mills, by means of which several planks are sawed at the same time.

March of 13 miles.

June 28-We went to Newtown, the first four miles which we marched were like those of the evening before, but the rest were fine enough. We arrived in good season, our baggage also.

Side Note.-We saw on the road several trees not known in France; the tulip tree, the bunch cherry, etc.

In the evening an Aid-de-Camp of General Washington arrived at Head-Quarters, who told us that the American Army opened the campaign on the 26th.

June 29-30-We halted at Newtown, and should not have left it until the 2d of July but for the orders which M. de Rochambeau received from General Washington to hasten his march.

Side Note.-Newtown is a place of small importance; all its inhabitants are poor.
Our camp was very well placed there.
Five men of Bourbonnois deserted.

March of 15 miles.

JULY.

July 1-We left very early in the morning in order to reach Bridgebury, but instead of marching by regiments we were formed into brigades and marched in this order. In the evening news arrived from the American general, which again changed our plans, for, instead of marching to Crampon (Crompond) as we had proposed. July 2-In the morning we left for Betfort (Bedford). The Legion of Lauzun, which up to that point had marched to the left of us, joined us there; we took a position from which it was impossible to drive us. Our camp this side of Betford (Bedford). The granadiers and chasseurs beyond the village, and the legion of Lauzun in advance, and we had still further in front of us one hundred and sixty American dragoons. Washington arrived and encamped his army a few miles to the right of us. From this moment we may consider our campaign is opened; we are distant at the furtherest fifteen leagues from New York. We learned on arriving at Betford (Bedford) that the evening before a party of English dragoons burned some houses at a short distance from the village, which had itself been badly used some little time before. This is a very small place, and it was with difficulty that we could find room for the small headquarters of our first division. Our generals only found lodgings, and those horrible. In the evening the Legion of Lauzun left for Morrisania with orders to surprise Delancy's Corps if possible.

Side Note. The second division left the same day to march from Newtown to Richbury. (Ridgebury.)

We had trouble enough to bring up all our baggage, there being some mountains, and the day's march very long.

March of 19 miles.

July 3-The army marched to North Castle, where it camped in an excellent position, although less military that that of yesterday. Our Second Brigade joined us in the afternoon; it made twenty miles in this day's march, and has not had one day's rest since leaving Providence. It is impossible to march better than it has done the entire distance, or to show greater willingness. It is true that Messieurs de Custine and the Vicomte de Noailles set the example by marching the entire distance on foot at the head of their regiments.

Side Note.-A fine march of 5 miles.

July 4-5-We halted the 4 and 5 at North Castle, to which place Messieurs de Fersen and de Vauban, to whom M. de Rochambeau had given permission to follow the Legion, returned; they told us that Delancy's Corps, which they had expected to surprise at Morrisania, was at Williamsbridge, and informed of our approach, for at the moment

they appeared they saw about three thousand English debouch in several columns, which compelled them to recross a stream, and fall into line of battle behind General Lincoln, who was in charge of another expedition, which was not successful, losing four men killed and fifteen or sixteen wounded. The Legion fired a few shots, but there was no one killed or wounded.

July 5-General Washington came to see M. de Rochambeau. Notified of his approach, we mounted our horses and went out to meet him. He received us with the affability which is natural to him and depicted on his countenance. He is a very fine looking man, but did not surprise me as much as I expected from the descriptions I had heard of him. His physiognomy is noble in the highest degree, and his manners are those of one perfectly accustomed to society, quite a rare thing certainly in America. He paid a visit to our camp, dined with us, and later we escorted him several miles on his return and took leave of him.

July 6-We left very early in the morning to make a junction with the American Army, and encamped on the White Plains at Philipsburg; we had already suffered terribly on our journey from the excessive heat of this country, but it is impossible to be more troubled by it than we were this last day. More than four hundred soldiers dropped down, unable to march further, but by halts and care all reached their haven at last, and we went into camp, our right resting on the left of the American Army in a perfectly good position where we would be extremely glad to have M. Clinton come to seek us.

Side Note. March of 17 miles; quite fine road, except some high hill sides as we arrived.

The baggage and artillery arrived very late.

Three men of Deux-Ponts deserted.

July 7-8-The mornings were passed in an exchange of friendly visits. In the afternoon of the 8th General Washington reviewed the two armies; we went first to the American Army, which may have amounted to four thousand and some hundred men at the most. It seemed to me to be in as good order as possible for an army composed of men without uniforms and with narrow resources. The Rhode Island regiment, among others, is extremely fine. We went thence to the French army, which, though unpretending, has quite another style. The Americans admit it; they all seemed to be delighted as well as their General.

Side Note.-There are a great number of negroes in the army, and some very young

men.

July 10-In evening the Romulus and three frigates, which left Newport under the command of M. de Villebrune, came down the Sound as far as Huntington bay. The guard ship, which is supposed to carry 44 guns, withdrew on their approach, and the other small vessels filed up the bay. The Pilots, who little understood their business, did not dare to go in at night, which prevented M. Dangely, who had two hundred and fifty men under his command on board, from making a night landing at Oyster Bay point, where the fort of Lhoyd's (Lloyd's) Neck is, and caused him to postpone his operations until the morning of the next day. He executed the plan but found the fort more strongly held than he expected, and its defences quite different from what he had been informed; he was obliged to withdraw after a sharp cannonade and a severe musketry fire; he had four men wounded, and reembarked, having totally failed in his movement.

July 11-We visited the Legion of Lauzun, which is encamped at Chaterton (Chatterton) Hill, two miles distant on our left. The Americans were quite as much pleased with it as with the rest of the army.

July 12-M. de Rochambeau went to Dobbs' Ferry, three miles from headquarters, directly on the right of the American army. I accompanied him, and at last had a sight of this famous North River. It is about two miles wide at this point. The shore opposite to that upon which we were is covered with steep rocks and woods. The Americans were at this very moment busy in the construction at Dobbs' Ferry of a Redoubt and two batteries beneath it, I do not know of how many pieces; we afterwards made the rounds of the parks of the two armies, and found them all in the best possible order.

Side Note. We received news that the Stanislas, the only vessel of the convoy which did not arrive, had been captured.

July 14-The weather was frightful; that is it rained very hard; I went with M. de Rochambeau to dine with General Lincoln, where also were General Washington,

Messrs. de Viomenil, de Chatelux and de Lauzun. There were conferences enough to give me the impression that within a very short time some movement will be made; in fact at five o'clock in the afternoon M. de Rochembeau made his preparations for a march. The first brigade, the heavy Artillery and the Legion received orders to hold themselves in readiness to leave; the Retraite was to serve for the signal to move. but a quarter of an hour before the moment of leaving, the order was countermanded by General Washington, who it seems thought the weather too bad. I do not know whether this was the real reason, nor do I know what was the purpose of the march, but it is certain that the rain had fallen so heavily all the afternoon that it would have been difficult to march the troops.

July 15-Caused us in one way more regret than the preceding day-from the countermanding order of the day before we were expected to march from one moment to another; at nine o'clock in the evening we had heard several cannon shots in the direction of Tarrytown, followed immediately after by a musketry fire. The Marquis de Laval caused the alarm to be beaten in the camp; two signal guns were fired by the artillery. As I was certain that the General had sent no order, I did not doubt for an instant that is was a signal agreed upon, or that the camp was attacked, but the mountain brought forth a mouse; it was a false alarm. M. de Rochambeau mounted his horse and rode to the camp to call in the troops. We were all in on our side, but hardly arrived when an aid-de-camp of General Washington came to ask M. de Rochambeau two hundred men, six twelve pounders and six howitzers to go to Tarrytown, to which point two English frigates had come up. General How (Howe) marched from his side with the Americans, but hardly were our troops and artillery ready to leave, when I was myself sent with counter orders, and all returned to camp; for what reason I do not know, General Howe continued his march.

July 16-At five o'clock in the morning a fire from the frigates at Tarrytown caused a repetition of the error of the night before. It was supposed that the two cannon shots were fired by the American Army, but this error was soon repaired. At half past five an aid-de-camp of General Washington arrived and asked for two twelve pounders and two howitzers to march to Tarrytown; as I was on duty I awakened M. de Rochambeau, who directed me to carry the order to M. Daboville, and told me at the same time to take this artillery to Tarrytown. I confess that I was enchanted; it was the first occasion upon which I could hope to hear the sound of cannon. I carried the order immediately. At seven o'clock the artillery was ready and left. We arrived at Tarrytown at eleven o'clock, and found the two frigates and a galley still there. During the night they had captured a small vessel, laden with flour and clothing for Sheldon's Dragoons, and they had put nearly all their crews into their boats to attempt a descent and carry off the rest of the supplies which were at Tarrytown; but a sergeant of the Regiment of Soissonnois who was there with twelve men kept up so brisk and direct a fire that he prevented the landing; a half hour later the Americans arrived, who lost a sergeant and had one of their officers severely wounded. On our arrival the Americans placed two eighteen pounders on the right of Tarrytown, and we placed ours on the left. We fired a hundred cannon balls, which must have done them some injury, as we saw several of them strike on board. In fact we compelled them to withdraw; they only replied to us by some balls, which passed extremely near our ears, near enough to cause several persons to dodge, but which did no harm. One ball struck a half foot beneath one of our pieces in the barbette of the battery, and threw the dirt about our heads; I was enabled to judge from what I saw that these gentlemen are brutal enough, but less dangerous than they appear. Tarrytown is four miles above Dobbs' Ferry, and the river is a little wider there. Near Tarrytown begins the Tapan Sea or the Sea of Tapan (Tappaan). It is so called because at this place the river widens considerably.

July 17-In the afternoon I was between Tarry-town and Dobbs-Ferry where I again found the two frigates which I had left the evening before; they had just fired some cannon shot again and received some, but there was no danger in it; they went up in the evening above Tarrytown.

Side Note.-On the morning of the 17 the Legion left its camp to march to. BedHouse (Bedford).

The night of the 17 to 18 M. Norteman an officer of Lauzun's Legion while on a patrol with six hussars was killed by some of Delancey's Dragoons; several pistol shots were exchanged. The infantry advanced to support the hussars but the enemy disappeared under cover of the woods and of the night.

Side Note.-At the moment when the officer was killed his horse returned at full