elated by recent victory. The officers had not drawn
their swords. Captain Ewald, who had commanded
the foremost detachment of Cornwallis's column all
day, had left his men to rest, and, having nothing in
particular to do, had ridden out with the grenadiers to
have a look at the country. Suddenly, at fifty paces
from the village, they were received by a brisk fire of
musketry. General Maxwell and the American
rearguard had thrown themselves into the village to cover
Washington's retreat. A party of Americans were
seen at the same time coming round the hill to take
the English on their left flank. Ewald galloped back
for assistance, and brought up two English regiments
under General Agnew, which immediately attacked
the Americans, and saved the grenadiers, who had been
almost surrounded. Night presently put an end to
the fighting. The English loss in this little affair was
heavy; nearly half of the two battalions and the greater
part of their officers fell, according to Ewald.[1]
After the British army had been disembarked at Head of Elk, the English fleet had left Chesapeake Bay. Meanwhile seven English frigates and fourteen transport ships, with provisions from New York, had entered the Delaware and gone up to Wilmington. Two days after the battle of the Brandywine, Cornwallis entered that town, thus securing a new base of supplies for the army.
The English advanced without meeting serious opposition, though there was continual skirmishing, and a party under General Wayne was surprised and beaten. On the morning of the 26th of September, 1777, Lord
- ↑ Ewald's “Belehrungen,” vol. ii. p. 337; vol. iii. p. 463.