The sluices had been shut, by which means the water was ponded; Lieutenant Murray plunged in, [p66] thinking it fordable, but finding it not so, he swam over, and got behind a tree before the corps passed the bridge, and was between both fires; luckily he escaped unhurt.

Hitherto the march of the army pointed equally to Trenton, or Cranberry; it now, on the 24th of June, took the route to the latter, by marching to Allentown: the Queen's Rangers formed the advance of the column. The bridge at Allentown, over a small rivulet, was taken up, and Colonel Simcoe fired two or three cannon shot, which drove a small party of the enemy from thence, and he passed over without the exchange of a musket, one of which might, unnecessarily, deprive him of a valuable officer, or soldier. Passing forward, a rebel patrole from the Cranberry road, came close to the front of the Rangers, mistaking them for their own people; they retired into a wood, which, as soon as the army halted, a party scoured, but to no purpose. Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe had a book, in which was inserted the names of every soldier in his corps, the counties in which they were born, and where they had ever lived, so that he seldom was at a loss for guides in his own corps; he had also many Refugees with him, who served as guides. The commander in chief asked him, whether he had any guides? he answered, he had none who knew any of the roads to Brunswick; that the chief of his guides was born at Monmouth. Sir Henry Clinton directed him to be sent to head quarters, as he might be useful in procuring intelligence, though not serviceable as a guide; this was done, and as soon as the army marched he came for [p67] two soldiers of the regiment, natives of Monmouth county: this was the first idea which Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe had of the army's being intended to march elsewhere than to South Amboy. An alteration in the disposition of the army took place; it marched in one column: the Yagers made the rear; the Queen's Rangers, light infantry, and dragoons, followed in succession. The army halted at the Rising Sun; the enemy's light troops appeared in greater force in the rear. On the arrival at the camp, Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe immediately passed a deep hollow that separated it from a high hill, with the Huzzars, in order to observe the ground in front, as was his constant custom; two men came out of the wood to Lieutenant Wickham, who was patrolling, deceived by his green clothes; he gave into the deception, passed himself upon them for a rebel partisan, and introduced Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe to them as Colonel Lee. One of the men was very glad to see him, and told him that he had a son in his corps, and gave him the best account of the movements of the rebel army, from which, Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe said, he had been detached two days; the other proved to be a committee-man of New Jersey; they pointed out the encampment of the British army, and were completely deceived, till, having told all they knew, and on the party returning, the committee-man having asked, "I wonder what Clinton is about?" "You shall ask him yourself," was the answer, "for we are British."

The army marched the next morning toward Monmouth, [p68] in the same order; and it now became evident, that Sir Henry Clinton intended to embark from Sandy Hook. There was some skirmishing between the Yagers and the enemy; and one time, it having the appearance of being serious, the Rangers were divided into two divisions, to march on each flank of the Yagers, who, having no bayonets, might have suffered from an intrepid enemy; but the contrary was the case, as the alarm originated from a shout that Captain Ewald, who commanded the rear guard, set up on the enemy's approach, which with other preparations, sent them away upon the full run. Upon the arrival at Monmouth, the Queen's Rangers covered head quarters; the army halted the next day, and foraged.

On the morning of the 27th, the Queen's Rangers marched, at two o'clock, and occupied the post from which the second battalion of light infantry were drawn, to march with the second division, under General Kniphausen: a great extent of ground was to be guarded, and the whole corps lay upon their arms.

In the morning [28th], about seven o'clock, orders were brought to Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe, "to take his Huzzars and try to cut off a reconnoitring party of the enemy, (supposed to be M. Fayette,) who was upon a bald hill, and not far from his left." As the woods were thick in front, Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe had no knowledge of the ground, no guide, no other direction, and but twenty Huzzars with him; he asked of Lord Cathcart, who brought him the order, whether he might not take some infantry with [p69] him, who, from the nature of the place, could advance nearly as expeditiously as his cavalry? to this his Lordship assenting, Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe immediately marched with his cavalry, and the grenadier company, consisting of forty rank and file. He had not proceeded far, before he fell in with two rebel Videttes, who, galloping off, the cavalry were ordered to pursue them, as their best guides; they fled on the road down a small hill, at the bottom of which was a rivulet; on the opposite rising, the ground was open, with a high fence, the left of which reached the road, and along which, a considerable way to the right, a large corps was posted. This corps immediately fired, obliquely, upon the Huzzars, who, in their pursuit of the Videttes, went up the road, and gained their left, when Ellison, a very spirited Huzzar, leapt the fence, and others followed. Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe, in the mean time, brought up the grenadiers, and ordered the Huzzars to retreat; the enemy gave one universal fire, and, panic struck, fled. The Baron Stuben, who was with them, lost his hat in the confusion. Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe rode along the fence, on the side opposite to which the enemy had been, posting the grenadiers there; the enemy fired several scattering shots, one of which wounded him in the arm: for some seconds, he thought it broken, and was unable to guide his horse, which, being also struck, run away with him, luckily, to the rear; his arm soon recovering its tone, he got to the place where he had formed the Huzzars, and with fourteen of them, returned towards a house, to which the right [p70] of the enemy's line had reached. Upon his left flank he saw two small parties of the enemy; he galloped towards them, and they fled: in this confusion, seeing two men, who, probably, had been the advance of these parties, rather behind the others, he sent Serjeant Prior, and a Huzzar, to take them, but with strict orders not to pursue too close to the wood. This the serjeant executed; and, after firing their loaded muskets at the large body which had been dislodged and was now rallying, the prisoners were obliged to break them, and to walk between the Huzzars and the enemy. The business was now to retreat, and to carry off whomsoever might be wounded in the first attack. The enemy opposite seemed to increase, and a party, evidently headed by some general officer, and his suit, advancing, to reconnoitre: it suggested to Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe, to endeavour to pass, as on a similar design; and, for this purpose, he dispatched a Huzzar to the wood in his rear, to take off his cap, and make signals, as if he was receiving directions from some persons posted in it. The party kept moving, slowly, close to the fence, and towards the road; when it go to some distance from the house, which has been mentioned, Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe called out audibly, as if to a party posted in it, "not to fire till the main body came close," and moved on slowly parallel to the enemy, when he sent Ryan, an Huzzar, forward, to see if there were any wounded men, and whether the grenadiers remained where he had posted them, adding, "for we must carry them off or lie with them;" to [p71] which the Huzzar replied "to be sure, your honour." On his return, and reporting there was nobody there, Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe struck obliquely from the fence, secured by a falling of the ground from danger, over the brook to the wood, where he found Captain Armstrong had, with great judgment, withdrawn his grenadiers; from thence he returned to camp, and sending his prisoners to the General, went himself to the baggage, his wound giving him excruciating pain, the day being like to prove very hot, and there not appearing the least probability of any action. Two Huzzars, and three of the infantry, were wounded in this skirmish; one of the Huzzars died at Monmouth after the action; the other, who was able to have marched, was left by the Hospital, and fell into the hands of the enemy. It is obvious that, of all descriptions of people, the Rangers were the last who should have been left as prisoners, since so many deserters from the enemy were in the corps: the soldiers had the utmost reliance upon their own officer's attention to this particular. The enemy who were defeated, consisted of that corps of Jersey militia which in General Lee's trial, is said "to have given way," by the evidence of the field officer who brought up fresh troops and cannon to support it; they were those detachments, which Sir Henry Clinton's letter says, "The Queen's Rangers fell in with among the woods, and dispersed," and who, probably, as Washington's account says, "were the Jersey militia, amounting to about seven or eight hundred men, under the command of General Dickenson." They were [p72] destined to attack the baggage, but made no other attempt that day.

The American war shows no instance of a larger body of men discomfitted by so small a number. The army saw not the combat; but every officer, every soldier, heard the heavy fire, and from that could form a judgment of the enemy's number. Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe afterwards heard a person who was of this body call the grenadier's company, to use his own expression, "a power of Hessians." Captain Ross took the command of the corps. He was detached, with the light infantry, under Colonel Abercrombie, to turn the enemy's left; went through the whole fatigue of that hot day, and though the corps had been under arms all the preceding night, it here gave a striking and singular proof of the vast advantages of the Philadelphia marches, by not having a man missing, or any who fell out of the ranks through fatigue. Captain Ross had an opportunity of more than once showing great military judgment and intrepidity, in checking different parties of the enemy; and the Highland company in particular, distinguished itself, under the command of Captain M'Kay, in covering a three pounder of the light infantry battalion, which was impeded by a swamp. At night, when the army marched off, Captain Ross, with that silence which was remarked in Washington's account of the action, formed the rear guard. During the day, the baggage was not seriously attacked; but some very small parties ran across it, from one side of the road to the other: one of these Captain Needham, and [p73] Lieutenant Cooke of the 17th dragoons, (since Captain of the Queen's Rangers,) dispersed; the rumors of them, however, added personal solicitude to Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe's public anxiety, and, for security, he got together the pioneers of his own and some other corps around his waggon. The uncertainty of what fate might attend his corps, and the army, gave him more uneasiness than he ever experienced; and, when the baggage halted, he passed an anxious night, till about the middle of it, when he had authentic information of the events. The army encamped at Middleton, the 29th and 30th. On the 1st of July, Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe resumed his command, and marched, to escort Sir William Erskine to Sandy Hook. The army remained in this vicinity till the 5th, when it marched to Sandy Hook also: this peninsula had been made an island by the storms of the preceding winter; a bridge of boats was thrown across the channel, over which the army passed, the Queen's Rangers excepted, who, forming the rear guard, embarked in boats from the Jersey side, as soon as the bridge was broken up. It is remarkable, and what few other corps in the army could say, that in this march the Queen's Rangers lost no men, by desertion. They landed at New York, marched up to Morris's house, and encamped there.

Stephen Jarvis of the Queens Rangers

The news of General Burgoyne's capture gave great energy to the enemy. The French also form ing an alliance with the Americans, and sending troops to America put a different face on things. General Howe, after making a great display in Philadelphia, resigned the com mand and went home and Sir Henry Clinton took the Command in Chief, and began to make preparations for evacuating Philadelphia and march ing the Army through the Jerseys up to New York, and on 18th day of June 1778, the British Army crossed the Delaware and commenced their route, the Queen's Rangers always in the rear of the line of march. I have omitted to state that before we left Philadelphia a Troop of Horse was added to the Regiment. The officers were Captain Wickham, Lieut. McKab (late of York in Upper Canada) and a Cornet Spencer from the 17th Dragoons.

Nothing of moment took place on our route until we came to Monmouth, where on the morning of the 28th of June, the Queen's Rangers met at daylight the advance army of the Americans tinder the command of General Lee. We had a smart brush, and Col. Simcoe was wounded. We took some prisoners and returned and joined the Army at Monmouth Court House,--Sir Henry Clinton, with five thousand of his Army attacked Lee and drove him the whole day?took and killed a great many of his men until we fell in with General Washington's whole Army, when we retreated, leaving our wounded in the enemies' hands. On commencing our retreat we had to oppose a large body of the enemy, and one of our field pieces was abandoned, and the enemy gave a shout. Lieutenant Shaw with the Highland Company wheeled about, charged the enemy, and brought off the cannon, which was ever after attached to the Regiment.

We continued our retreat during the whole night and came up with the main Army at Middletown, where we halted to refresh ourselves for the first time in twenty-four hours. The day of the battle was one of the hot test days I ever felt, and we lost more men by drinking cold water than were killed by the enemy. I bore the fa tigue of the day very well with only having again a shot through my pan taloons, leaving the mark of the ball on the skin, or rather the powder without drawing blood. The Army continued its march, the Rangers bringing up the rear. The Army crossed over on a pontoon bridge to the lighthouse island, the Queen's Rangers embarked in flatboats and rowed up to New York and landed at Bloomingdale above New York, where we remained for some time and then crossed over to Long Island and took up our quarters at Oyster Bay. Another change had taken place in the Regiment. Major Ross had left the Regiment. Captain Armstrong promoted to the Majority, Captain McGill went to the Grenadiers and Captain Agnew got his company soon after we came to Oyster Bay.

Sgt. von Krafft, Hessian soldier

15 June Mond.  In the morning the ships that had not been burned the day before, on account of the strong wind, were all burned.  At noon all the baggage had to be transported across the Delaware, also all officers, grooms and horses.

At noon came the order to be ready to march at 4:30 P.M.  Hereupon the soldiers indulged in a scene which was cruel and ridiculous to behold.  Everything in the rooms was thrown out the windows, and other endless confusion ensued.  At the appointed time all the Hessians except the Grenadiers came together, also some English regiments.  At 5 we marched almost to the end of the city, towards Germantown, where we were at once shipped on board the boats awaiting us and taken across the Delaware.  There we waited some time until the whole regiment was together.  The place was called Coppers Ferry [Coopers Ferry].  We marched about 2 1/2 English miles and the greater part of our regiment was directed to camp in a wood.  It may have been 7.30 P.M.  when we arrived there.  As we had no tents and it was too late to build huts, I lay down under a tree to sleep.

16 June. Tues.  In the morning order was given to erect huts, because we were to remain here until all had overtaken us from Philadelphia.  I went this morning in among the cherry-trees which grew about there, with several other Sub-officers.

17 June. Wed.  In the morning Gen'r'l Knipphaussen, as also all the Grenadiers and Yagers arrived here in the camp from Philadelphia, and there remained in Philadelphia only about 100 Englishmen.  The evening before General Stern arrived at the camp.  In the evening at sunset I was on the field picket and was sent out about 100 paces to the front with 8 men, without observing anything.  At 9 in the evening orders came to march on at 4 A.M.

18 June. Thurs.  We all set out at 4 A.M. and proceeded 6 1/2 English miles until we passed through the little town of Hottenfeldt [Haddonfield], where, at about 8 o'clock, we who were on the extreme right camped under huts on a fallow field.  At 9.30 o'clock we heard many shots from our outposts on the right and the Yagers on the left.

19 June Frid.  At day-break the whole arrmy, with the equipage, marched past us.  At noon our regiment had to follow to protectthe whole equipage (for the Body-regiment and the Wilwart Brigade followed on the next morning); but only about 3/4 English mile, when our regiment again camped in a bush to the right in a cornfield and not far from the 15th English Musketeer regiment.  This night, during the fire watch, I received 9 soldiers in arrest who had killed cattle, and also 2 English grooms (knechte).

20 June. Sat.  Company's day.  At 3 A.M. we marched away again as Stant Garde, during a heavy rain.  Towards noon we built huts in a meadow near the town of Morristown [Moorestown] 61/2 English miles to the left.  The same night a soldier deserted us.

21 June. Sun.  From 3 in the morning until noon I had the rear guard of our and the English regiment, again in the heavy rain.  In the afternoon we marched through terrible heat, stopping every minute on account of the wagons, 9 English miles to the little town of Mount Holly.  Our Grenadiers and the English, which were in front got into camp about 6.30 P.M., on the right in front of the town, in bush [huts], again in wheat, next to the Body regiment.  I was taken very sick with violent vomiting about 10 o'clock, but got better towards evening.  This night there was a terrific thunderstorm and the rain poured down so hard that we in our brush-huts got very wet.

22 June. Mond.  At 6 o'clock in the morning the march was continued until we came to the middle of the army.  (It is to be remembered here that the English constantly hoped for the extreme rear guard).  Before we marched on, our Gen. v. Knyphaussen came and had it made known through the commanders of the regiments that there had been many desertions during the past few days; that we were marching directly to Hesse; that we were to believe nothing else, still less the statements in circulation, that the rebels would give plantations and houses to those who remained behind.  (When I heard this, namely, that peace or at least a march to Europe was to be made, I resolved to resign, because I had no desire to be seen there as a Sub-officer)  About noon we again pitched our hut-camp on a meadow at Black Horse [Tavern], 7 Engl. miles from our former camp.  Very soon after an English deserter who had been caught by the English (by the Royalists) was hanged on a tree by the road, which caused a dreadful uproar, because the hanged man had many still bleeding wounds.

23 June Tues.  At 4 A.M. we moved again, in the middle of the army, till towards evening when we again pitched our camp in a fallow field at Racklestown [Recklesstown near Crosswicks] 7 1/2 miles to the right.  Here I inquired of our Colonel through Capt. von Donop, about my dismission, excepting if there should not be peace; for, I said, I would never be seen in Europe as a Sub-officer.  I received answer that I had better remain, because our march to Europe would probably not take place and I must very soon become an officer, when they returned to Cassel.  Besides, I was to receive my discharge, if I wished it, here, or if I preferred on account of the free passage, in England, immediately on arriving there.  With this I was satisfied.  In fact, I did not know what to do.

The same day 2 men deserted from our first company, and I and Sergeant Heynemann were sent to search in the bushes for them.  We came to a meadow where we met some English soldiers with stolen goods.  I wanted to take the goods from them; but they told me, if I went but 100 paces further, I would find plenty of Hessian soldiers there in houses who had done the same thing.  I thought our 2 fellows might perhaps be there maurauding, which the other sergeant believed too, and therefore we resolved to go there.  To tell the truth it was a very rash undertaking, because the Rebels always kept very close to our camp.  We went over fences and through marsh and water, certainly for half an hour, when we arrived at a green spot in the midst of dense woods where we saw two houses at some distance from each other.  Upon entering the first we found everything lying about in confusion in room, chamber and cellar, the beds torn open and the feathers strewn about, & boxes and chests broken open; but no one was to be seen or heard there.  I exhorted the other Sergeant to keep watch that we didn't get attacked.  There being nothing to find here we proceeded through a foul swamp about 400 paces to the other house, which was not very large either.  As we approached two women with several little children appeared.  To my English interrogation they quickly and anxiously replied that no Hessians had been there, but several English soldiers who had taken everything they could find, even the silver shoe-buckle from one woman's shoe.  On entering the room I found no less confusion than in the former house.  Their husbands had fled because the English soldiers had said they were going to take them as Rebel prisoners to the camp.  They begged me to spare them.  They were, they said, good Royalists.  When I had assured her that I would do so, she said she saw very plainly there was no truth in what people had told her of the Hessians, namely, that they were cruel.  She saw that it was the English alone.  She asked me to come into the room, but I did not stay there long; for it seemed to me that the woman often looked around, as if hoping for help from the men who had run away, and that such help might possibly come, whereas we were beyond reach of help from the camp.  Therefore I only demanded some fresh provisions for cash payment and at last received from her 1 rooster and 3 young chickens which had been concealed in the oven.  She would not name her price, but I gave her 1 Engl. shill. 10 pence which was all the money I had with me, for which they wished me many blessings and begged me to pick some cherries from the trees in front of the house.  But they always seemed to be eagerly looking around for something, so I reminded the other that it was time to go, whereupon these women offered us many good wishes.  The went toward the other house, where we espied some people, but on our arrival they were nowhere to be found, having crawled back into the thick bushes again.

With all possible speed we hastened toward our camp and meeting, in the woods that extend nearly up to our huts, some soldiers of our Company who were in search of wood, we strangled the chickens and had them brought after us by the soldiers, because we had to report beforehand.  Towards evening we heard, from a distance of a few miles, about 40 loud cannon reports and also some "small fire" which, as we afterward learned, was Genrl. Klington with the light infantry against an uncertain Rebel corps, which however, as ususal soon took to their heals.

[Marginal note:  "On the march, N.B. I was never allowed to carry any of my things or my knapsack; but whenever I was detached I always took my knapsack and a little box of papers in it, which I would not give out of my possession."  Also: "From this time in the State of Ne Jersey."]

24 June. Wed.  Regiment's day.  At 7 A.M. we continued our march again as rear guard to cover the others.  In the afternoon we arrived at a  little place called Wahlsmil [Waln's Mill] about 6 English miles, or rather just opposite it across a stream and on the other side of a bridge that had been destroyed by the Rebels, but had been rapidly rebuilt, for the passage of the army and baggage, by the English pioneers.  Up to this place it was 6 English miles from our former camp.  We were soon again impeded in our march, the Rebels having hewn and cast large trees in our way to prevent our baggage train from moving rapidly.  Such tricks were often played on us by the Rebels and sometimes they showed themselves on hill sides or behind us in considerble numbers.  But they never had the courage to attack us "in our baggage" which at times had become greatly disordered and ill-protected.  Nor did they ever stand when pursued, unless they by far outnumbered us.  At 9 in the evening we arrived, to the right, at Emplestown [Imlaystown] and pitched our camp in a most beautiful wheat-field.  Again 4 English miles.  The English Headquarters were 5 miles from here in the town of Allentown.

25 June. Thurs.  At 4 A.M. we continued our march in the middle of the army, without noticing anything in particular, except, whenever we passed through a thicket, to miss some who had desserted us, and to endure the most frightful heat.  At 7 in the evening we reached, to the right, Monmos County Frehold Township, 6 English miles, and pitched our tents on a fallow field.

26 June. Frid.  On reserve picket.  At 4 A.M. we again continued our march, suffering from the heat.  At noon we had gone 5 English miles and were near the little town of Freeholdt.  When we entered the place almost all the inhabitants had fled and evidently a short time before our arrival, because I found fresh milk in a house where I was ordered to go with some men to fetch water.  Every place here was broken into and plundered by the English soldiers.

The church, which was made of wood and had a steeple, was miserably demolished.  The city hall, also having a steeple, contained in the lowest story some strong prison cells, in the front one of which there were still bread, beverage, ham and lettuce on a laid table.  Also beds and articles of dress were to be found, a sign that the prisoners had been removed in greatest haste.  A loaf of bread lay on the floor near the table, which, with much exertion, I managed to fetch or rather draw out by piercing it with my short musket.  After staying in the streets there for about an hour and a half, while the English soldiers had, in the meantime, been breaking and destroying everything in the city-hall-house, even tearing down the little bell in the steeple (no Hession was to be seen among them, the commanders of the regiments not allowing it, though many abuses were practised by them secretly) we marched back and, at a short distance away from the place (viz: in front of the town, to the left) we pitched our camp in a fallow field.  To-day the Hessians got permission from the commanders of the regiments to take cattle wherever they should find any and kill and slaughter it for the use of the regiment.  That evening there was a terrific thunderstorm.  Capt. v. Donop's tent was just back of my hut.  I lay in my hut, on account of the rain, leaning on my left arm, together with my orderly, when there was a fearful thunderclap, so that I could not help thinking that my hut had been struck.  But it struck at a distance of only 15 paces behind my hut, killing one of the Captain's horses - and also 150 paces further to the right, on one side, near a tree, killing another horse and severely injuring several men of Losberg's regiment.

[Marginal note:  "This same day the English soldiers set fire to a house outside of the town after having ransacked it, because it was said to be the property of a prominent Rebel."]

Still in the neighborhood of Mon Mos County Frehold Township.

27 June Sat.  To-day we had rest day.  About 10 A.M. alarm was given by the outposts on our left wing.  A few musket shots and directly afterwards cannon reports were heard.  The reserve picket had to march out immediately, and when we had gone quite a distance and were in the thicket,  just in front of the line, we had to occupy the passes there.  I was detached to go on ahead with 6 men, by Lieut. v. Bartenleben who had command of 36 men and 2 Sub-officers of our regiment, and I placed an outpost.   Hardly an hour later the Rebels again made an attack, not far from me on my right; but I got nothing to do, as they never showed themselves very long at a time.

[Marginal note:  "In the beginning of this attack an ensign Werner of the Rall Battl. had run away leaving all his men behind him just beyond the picket."]

At midnight another much more terrific thunderstorm than the previous one came up, with heavy rain, so that we again got wet through.  At daybreak we were ordered to leave our post and betake ourselves to the regiment, which, when we arrived there, had proceeded quite a distance.  So we marched.

28 June. Sund.  in the cruel heat, owing to which nearly half of our regiment as also of the other regiments, also of the English, remained behind, often having to stop and repair the destroyed bridges.  In the afternoon considerable firing was heard in our rear guard which continued for some time.  This was on account of the Rebels some of whom had been so bold as to tear right through the baggage train, and shooting unexepectedly from a concealed place, had killed a groom and a horse.  Towards evening some of them were wounded by our army.  At 8.45 P.M. we camped at Notchwarb [Nutswamp near Middletown], in the midst of woods and on an elevation in a field of beautiful wheat.  We postposed building our huts until the next day on account of our fatigue.  Company's day.

29 June Mond.  One half rest day.  In the morning we again heard firing on our right wing (for our camp was always spread out broad), and the light infantry, which lay a little way in front of us, had to start out immediately.  This morning I went to a little brook, back of the front line, to bathe.  I was assigned to the Fire Watch to-day, but exchanged with Free Corporal Muus, agreeing to take his place for him in return.  About 3 o'clock in the afternoon we marched again, but stopped to rest, after advancing scarcely one English mile, in a thicket.  From there we marched up on a hill from which we could see the Raraten Rivir with many ships.  In the meantime the baggage train passed along though a valley to our right.  We were obliged to protect it and to wait until it had entirely passed through the thicket in that vally.  Then we marched up on a hill, while the left wing,  the body regiment and the right wing (also the English light infantry which was close behind us) remained on the Frehold road to protect the baggage.  No one was allowed to undress or take off his cartridge-box, because, being a commando, we had the first outposts and any attack would necessarily be made upon us.  It remained quiet, however, all night.  We lay under trees and the baggage not being with us and consequently many things being absent, we feld very uncomfortable.

30 June. Tues.  At 7 A.M. we broke up our camp and marched through the borough of Mittletown, about 3 English miles, until we reached, two miles further on, quite a large hill [Chapel Hill] where we pitched our camp.  I was obliged to lay out the camp,  all the Sub-officers of the Company being tired out.  When we arrived at an elevation of land at about 11 o'clock, there were not more than 9 men of our Company and 100 out of the whole regiment together, the rest having all been left on the road on account of fatigue.  One man of our Company, Stamberg, a Hildburghauser and theologin, had dropped down dead.  He was carried to the camp on a wagon and buried in a thicket inside our front line.  Several men were slowly brought back to life from insensibility.  Huts were built, but owing to the heat, it was almost impossible to breath underneath them.  Though I had nothing to carry beside my short musket, the rapid marching and intolerable heat and the miserable roads across fields and over hills, often nearly made be faint.  My ambition alone fortified me, and by the aid of the Almighty I came out one of the freshest.  Towards evening all the baggage passed by us, taking all night to do so.  At 5 in the afternoon we already received orders not to undress, but to march at the first signal.

On the march we got salt and fresh meat, biscuit and rum, nothing more.

1 July. Wedn.  At 8 A.M. I was assigned to the Field Watch for Free Corp. Muus.  Towards 10 o'clock we had to march again, but only half an English mile, whereupon e again camped at the foot of a hill and in a large orchard.  In the last place we had been obliged to make room for the English.  At noon, some Rebels again attacked the right wing of our large camp, which caused much single firing from detached posts.  On our left wing, a Sub-officer and 12 detached men were taken by the Rebels without firing a shot or offering the least resistance.  In the evening Ensign v. Lehrbach had a cow slaughtered, which had been captured.  The performance caused us much anxiety and also much fun.  We also milked many cows in the neighborhood of our Watch and were lucky enough not to be caught at it.  Again a rest day.

2 July. Thur. Rest day.

3 "  Frid.  A rest day.  To-day we had an astonishing and continuous rain-storm and as the baggage was obliged to start at break of day and I had only taken my little box and a shirt with me, we had no rest during the night and the next day till noon on account of the wetness.  Little to eat and to drink, and very bad at that, being wet through and unable to rest, innumerable other repulsive and adverse circumstances and my continual damned bad luck, stirred my weeping heart uncommonly.  Owing to the many conjectures regarding our future march I felt undecided, as to the present and the future, what I ought to undertake to do.

4 July.  Satur.  Rest day.  Until noon the rain continued unabatedly.  After that, however, it was fine weather and the sun shone.  After 1 o'clock all the officers' horses had to be brought on board ship N.B. not of the Subaltern officers, none of theirs being allowed to be taken along.   At 3 o'clock Generals Klington, Knipphaussen and a few others of the generals went away by ship.  In the afternoon some of the wagons that had carried our baggage were burned near the river by the army.  After 5 o'clock we heard from afar an astonishingly loud and long running line of fire (Lauf-feuer) of cannons.  At 6.30 order came to have all the guns immediately taken on board the ships.  This afternoon I had a quarrel with the Free Corporal of the Body Company, Schonwolf, whose tobacco-pipe Serg. Maj. Roemer and I had hidden, which he called a stupid trick.  Whereat I struck him on the head with the tobacco pipe, with with punishment he begged me to be satisfied, when I demanded further satisfaction.  This I finally promised with derisive laughter.  To-day we heard that the Rebels had gone back and were not going to pursue us any longer.  Many different things more, regarding our uncertain march.

5 July. Sund.  At 5 A.M. we marched forth about __ English miles in the neighborhood of ___ where we soon marched up to the water, for we had left the camp by left flank.  Some companies of the Body regiment and also the first two files of the Body Co. of our regiment had already embarked in long boats.  Many of those boats were also used for the transportation of animals which were tied to them so as to swim behind.  Therefore we went back again and to the right across a pontoon bridge made of boats covered with boards, across which all the English regiments had marched also.  We had to follow them to the little island of Sandy Hook upon which stands the Light House for the ships.  We had difficult marching through the sand almost as far as the Light House, which is situated at the extreme end of the island.  Here we immediately went into the long boats, having, however, to wade through water up to our knees, because it was high tide.  From the pontoon-bridge to this place was a distance of about ___ English miles, the time of our arrival, after 11 A.M.  Our ship, which we and the Body Company had to get to by means of 2 long boats for each, was three-masted, without guns and named _____.  It lay at quite a distance.  We had to row nearly an hour and a half before we reached it and we made a great noise there because there were no provisions on board and no one knew where to get any.  Some one was sent to other ships for provisions.  The ship-captain was compelled to go too, so that at sunset we finally got our provisions.  Never had I been hungrier and consequently I ate my salt pork, and the mouldy biscuit, raw and uncooked.  After many entreaties I managed to get some very thin coffee without milk or sugar for a little money, and then I spread out a robe and lay down on the cabin-deck to sleep.  In the hold everything was disorder and there were so many there that I did not want to be among them.  We would have left that same night, but the sailors or our ship were occupied in transporting the army to other ships.  On that account we had to wait and did not know yet whether we were to land at York or on Long Eyland.  Meanwhile our ship lay between New Jersey on the left and Sandy Hook to the right behind us, and Long Eylandt a little ahead of us to the right, while Staten Eylandt lay a little ahead to the left.  A beautiful prospect in clear weather with many ships lying at anchor round about.  There is yet to be mentioned that, while we were crossing the pontoon bridge, I was greatly surprised that the Rebels did not take advantage of the disorder in our arrangements and crossings, since we were without cannons and even our muskets were unloaded, according to orders received the night before.  They undoubtedly would have succeeded since we were too confident.  During a momentary detention near the water I dug up some fine large clams on the beach, a thing I had learned from the English, and I immediately ate them with ravenous appetite owning to my hunger.  Before we crossed the pontoon bridge all unnecessary horses were turned loose and chased back into the country.