among soldiers, in such a state of vassalage and danger; more especially on account of her daughters, who, she was very apprehensive, would be particularly liable to the insults of a brutal soldiery. She therefore prevailed on her husband to remove the family from the Island; and accordingly the whole, with the exception of my father and two of my brothers next in age to myself, removed, under my care, to the town of Little Compton. During the following summer an expedition was formed under the command of Major-General Spencer, to attack the British troops, and to obtain possession of the Island, and the town of Newport. About this time, a person came from the Island with a flag, and informed me that my father had expressed a wish for me to come over to the Island and have an interview with him. I communicated this fact to Colonel Joseph Stanton, who then commanded at Rowland's Ferry, in Tiverton. He assented to the proposal, and directed three officers of the American army to accompany me, and to obtain the best possible information of the force, strength, and situation of the enemy. One of these officers was a Lieutenant Charles Handy, of Newport. On the following night, we proceeded to my father's mansion on the Island; and ascertained, to the best of my recollection, that the British force did not exceed two thousand men, who had scarcely any intrenchments on any part of the Island;—that their naval force was very small, and in such a situation, that an expedition might, if judiciously arranged, be so conducted, as, under God, to insure success. We returned in safety, and made report of every particular to the proper officers. The expedition was rapidly progressing. In the interim, I several times went upon the Island, to obtain additional information, previous to the night which had been assigned for the landing of our army; and, through the same channel, I received all the intelligence which was desirable or necessary.
