voc. The crash of the fire-locks and the fall
of the killed and wounded, caused at first some confusion. In half an
hour three of our heavy guns were dismounted, many gunners killed,
and the rest obliged to retire. The infantry advanced under a heavy
discharge of round and grape shot, until they were checked by a canal
in front. A halt was ordered, and the men commanded to shelter
themselves in a wet ditch as best they could.

Thus it fared with the left of the army. The right failing to
penetrate through the swamp, and faring no better, was compelled to
halt. All thought of a general attack for this day was abandoned. It
only remained to withdraw the troops from their perilous position
with as little loss as possible. This was done, not in a body, but
regiment by regiment, under the same discharge which saluted their
approach.

There seemed now but one practicable way of assault; to treat these
field-works as one would treat a regular fortification, by erecting
breaching batteries against them, and silencing, if possible, their
guns. To this end three days were employed in landing heavy cannon,
bringing up ammunition, and making other preparations, as for a
siege. One half of the army was ordered out on the night of the
thirty-first, quietly led up to within three hundred yards of the
enemy's works, and busily employed in throwing up a chain of works.
Before dawn, six batteries were completed, with thirty pieces of
heavy cannon mounted, when the troops, before the dawn of day, fell
back and concealed themselves behind some thick brush in the rear.
The Americans had no idea of what was going on until morning came.
This whole district was covered with the stubble of sugar-cane, and
every storehouse and barn was filled with large barrels containing
sugar. In throwing up the works this sugar was used. Rolling the
hogsheads towards the front, they were placed in the parapets of the
batteries. Sugar, to the amount of many thousand pounds sterling, was
thus disposed of.

On the morning of January 1st, a thick haze obscured the sun, and all
objects at the distance of a few yards, for some hours. Finally, as
the clouds of fog drifted away, the American camp was fully exposed
to view, but three hundred yards away. The different regiments were
upon parade, and presented a fine appearance. Mounted officers rode
to and