's Fort, or a year later at Fort Washington, when, standard in
hand, he swept up the height, and entered the fort at the head of the
storming column, Clinton was always foremost in the race of battle, and
the King's service knew no more admirable soldier.

We were taking to the water from our boats, with the intention of
forcing a column to the fort, through a way which our own guns had
rendered practicable, when a shot struck a boat alongside of us, so
well aimed, as actually to put three-fourths of the boat's crew hors de
combat, and knock down the officer steering, and the flag behind him.
I could not help crying out, "Bravo! well aimed!" for no ninepins ever
went down more helplessly than these poor fellows before the round shot.
Then the General, turning round to me, says, rather grimly, "Sir, the
behaviour of the enemy seems to please you!" "I am pleased, sir," says
I, "that my countrymen, yonder, should fight as becomes our nation."
We floundered on towards the fort in the midst of the same amiable
attentions from small arms and great, until we found the water was up
to our breasts and deepening at every step, when we were fain to take
to our boats again and pull out of harm's way. Sir Henry waited upon my
Lady Warrington on board the Sphinx after this, and was very gracious to
her, and mighty facetious regarding the character of the humble writer
of the present memoir, whom his Excellency always described as a rebel
at heart. I pray my children may live to see or engage in no great
revolutions,--such as that, for instance, raging in the country of our
miserable French neighbours. Save a very, very few indeed, the actors in
those great tragedies do not bear to be scanned too closely; the chiefs
are often no better than ranting quacks; the heroes ignoble puppets; the
heroines anything but pure. The prize is not always to the brave. In our
revolution it certainly did fall, for once and for a wonder, to the
most deserving: but who knows his enemies now? His great and surprising
triumphs were not in those rare engagements with the enemy where he
obtained a trifling mastery; but over Congress; over hunger and disease;
over lukewarm friends, or smiling foes in his own camp, whom his great
spirit had to meet and master. When the struggle was over, and our
important chiefs who had conducted it began to squabble and accuse
each other in their own defence before the nation--what charges and
counter-charges were brought; wha