been more overjoyed than they appeared to be at what he promised them; their ague fit soon left them. I had a share in one of them by assisting in taking him up;
the fortune I acquired was small, only one dollar; I received what was then called its equivalent, in paper
money, if money it might be called, it amounted to
twelve hundred (nominal) dollars, all of which I afterwards paid for one single quart of rum; to such a miserable state had all paper stuff, called—money—depreciated.
Our corps of Sappers and Miners were now put on board vessels to be transported up the bay; I was on board a small schooner, the Captain of our company and twenty others of our men were in the same vessel. There was more than twenty tons of beef on board, salted in bulk in the hold; we were obliged to remain behind to deal out this beef in small quantities to the troops that remained here. I remained part of the time on board, and part on shore, for eighteen days after all the American troops were gone to the northward, and none remaining but the French. It now began to grow cold, and there were two or three cold rain storms; we suffered exceedingly while we were compelled to stay on shore, having no tents nor any kind of fuel, the houses in the town being all occupied by the French troops. Our Captain at length became tired of this business and determined to go on after the other troops at all events; we accordingly left Yorktown and set our faces towards the Highlands of New-York. It was now the month of November, and winter approaching; we all wished to be nearer home, or at least to be with the rest of our corps, who were—we knew not where, nor did they know where we were; they had heard before this that our schooner was cast away, and we were drowned. After we left Yorktown we had head winds for several days and made but little progress, getting no farther than Petuxant river in Maryland, in that time; we came to anchor at the mouth of that river about sunset, and as we had been some time on board the vessel, we obtained permission from our Captain to go on shore and sleep, as we saw a shelter on shore, put up by some of the troops who had gone on before us. And here again I had like to have taken a short discharge from the army. It was noised
