History of the United States Author:William Grimshaw Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ton, George Clymer, .I:imcs Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, and George Rom. Delaware ; Casar Rodney, and George Reed. Maryland ; Samuel Chafe, William Paca, ... more »Thomas Stone, and Charles Carroll, of Car- rollton. Virginia ; George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, and Thomas Jefferson ; Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, junier, Francis Lightfoot Lee, and Carter Braxton. North Carolina ; William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, and John IVnu. South Carolina ; Edward Rutledge, Thomas Hayward, junior, Thomas Lynch, junior, and Arthur -MitldletoD. Georgia ; Button Givinuett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton. Of these, the only survivors, at the time of publishing this second edition, in 1821, are Charles Thomson, John Adams, Charles Carroll, and Thomas Jefferson. CHAPTER V. , Continuation of the war. Success of the Americans. Peace / of Paris. IT had early occurred to general Washington, that the possession of New York would be with the, British a favourite object. Its central situation, and contiguity to the ocean, might enable them to carry the war to any part ot the sea- coast. Its acquisition was rendered still more valuable, by the ease with which it could be maintained. Surrounded on all sides by water, it was defensible by a small number of British ships, against adversaries whose whole navy consisted only of a few frigates. Hudson's river, being navigable for vessels of the largest size, to a great distance, afforded an opportunity of severing the eastern from the other states, -and of almost preventing between them any communication. In proportion to the desire which general Washington judged that the British felt for the possession of New York, did this sagacious officer direct his attention to its defence. He had, in April, fixed his head quarters in that city, and given it all th...« less