e on the declivities, a few on the summit. Arnold withdrew
from Richmond about mid-day on the sixth, encamped that night, as he had
on the march up, at Four-mile Creek, and on the next day at Berkley and
Westover.

Arthur Lee wrote, on the twenty-first of March, from Greenspring to
Colonel Bland, as follows: "Most certainly you would have heard from me
could I have found any conveyance but the tory-post the wisdom of our
people has established, or could I have given you a pleasing account of
the situation of our affairs here. But in truth, it is impossible to
conceive a more hopeless state than what we are in. Laws without wisdom
or justice, governments without system or order, complex and heavy taxes
to raise money which is squandered away no one knows how, or wherefore,
not half the troops being raised, or those which are raided being
provided neither with arms, clothes, nor provisions. Twelve millions
were spent in two months, and when the enemy came, there was neither
man, horse, musket, cannon, wagon, boat, or any one thing in the world
that could be found for our defence. In this situation it need not
surprise you that Arnold, with a handful of bad troops, should march
about the country, take and destroy what he pleased, feast with his tory
friends, settle a regular correspondence with them, which he carried on
for some time in vessels sent up the river and unnoticed, till one
happening to run aground discovered Mrs. Byrd's correspondence, which,
however, will produce neither good to us nor injury to her. I have
reason to think she will not be tried at all, means having been taken to
keep the witnesses out of the way."[712:A]

Mrs. Maria Byrd, of Westover, was a sister of Thomas Willing, Esq.,
director of the Bank of North America, and partner of Robert Morris, and
a strenuous opponent of American independence. A sister of Mrs. Byrd
married Captain Walter Sterling, of the British navy. Samuel Inglis,
Esq., some time resident in Virginia as factor of the house of Willing &
Morris, under the firm of Inglis & Willing, was a decided opponent of
independence. He married the daughter of William Aitcheson, Esq., of
Norfolk, a Scotch tory, and was brother of Captain Inglis, of the
British navy.[712:B]

Simcoe, patroling in the night, surprised a party of militia at Charles
City Court-house, where, after some confused firing, the militia fled
with small loss; some few attempting to escape, were drowned in a
mill-pond. S