[page 130]


90.

90.

General Cornwallis, accompanied by his officers, came back to our camp several times, where he had lunch, along with General O’Hara etc., several times, and the Count de Forbach[213].

Der General Kornwallis mit seinem Officirs-Corps kame auch noch einigemal in unser Lager, allwo er auch einigemal mit Herrn Graffen von Vorbach zu Mittag speissete, wie auch der General Oahara etc.

As soon as the captured army left the city of York, all of our soldiers were able to enter to see how much the houses were destroyed, which was an astonishing spectacle. The houses were all like lanterns burst open by the hail of bullets. The ground was completely covered by holes made by shells and other cannonballs, and was so ploughed up that it was nearly impossible to walk. Wherever one looked, there was a number of corpses that had not been buried, the majority of them were Moors, which nearly caused an epidemic, if the situation had not been fixed. The army’s encampment was completely destroyed, within the city as well as on the edges of the city.

Sobald die gefangne Armee aus der Stadt Yorck ware, konte jeder Soldat von uns hinein gehen um die Verwüstung deren Häusser zu betrachten, welches ebenfalls auch wunder-bar zu sehen ware. Alle Häusser stunden da wie Ladernen mit Löchern durch und durch geschoßen. Der gantze Erdboden ware dergleichen verwühlet mit Löcher von denen Bommen- Haubitzen und dergleichen Kuglen, daß man fast nicht gehen konte. In allen Orten, wo man sich nur umsahe, lage es voll Todten Körper, die nicht begraben waren, worunder der mehrste Theil Mohren waren, welches beynahe eine reissende Kranckheit verursachete, wan nicht wäre Rath geschafft worden. Die Lagerstätte der Armée in und um die Stadt herum sahe alles einer rechten Verwüstung gleich.

Shortly thereafter, all the redoubts and trenches that had been constructed outside the city were razed, after which we left to take our winter quarters in Williamsburg. The first and 2nd brigades stayed in York and Gloucester. The other regiments of the ship garrison were immediately boarded again onto Count de Grasse’s fleet.

Gleich nach diesem wurden alle gemachte Schantzen und Lauf-gräben ausserhalb der Stadt verschleifft, sobald dieses verferdigt ware, rückten wir in Winter-Quartier nach Wiliamsburg. Das erste Brigad, das 2te Brigad bliebe in Yorck und Gloßester. Die übrig Regimenter von denen Schiff Garnisons wurden gleich wiedrum eingeschifft auf das Escadre von Herrn Graffen von Grasse.

On November 16th, we left York to go to Williamsburg.

Den 16ten 9br brachen wir zu Yorck auf nach Wiliamsburg.

[réclame]

das

https://gallica.bnf.fr/iiif/ark:/12148/btv1b10110846m/f66/pct:0,0,50,100/,700/0/native.jpg

Strasbourg, Médiathèque André Malraux, ms f 15, p. 130.

[agrandir]


 Notes

213. Count de Forbach refers to Christian de Deux-Ponts. Some letters cited by Prince Adalbert of Bavaria in his 1966 work mention Christian’s participation in meetings with George Washington at Westpoint, in which Guillaume de Deux-Ponts and Closen did not take part. It was a relatively common occurrence in military socializing to “fraternize” among officers after a battle. That said, the Americans were, to say the least, surprised by this aristocratic courtesy.