Note 1069 — Chapter VI · (continued 2)

Cf. Ninth Report of the Royal Commissioners, as above, App., iii. p. 100. Soon after his arrival at New York, Clinton demanded that either the admiral or himself should be relieved (see Eden to Germain, enclosing letters from Clinton, in Ibid., p. 106). Arbuthnot asking to be relieved on account of his advanced age, the command of the fleet was given to Graves. Soon, however, Clinton found himself involved in a similar dispute with a more influential man. The Seventh Report of the Commissioners appointed to examine, take, and state the Public Accounts of the Kingdom appeared in 1782 (also printed in Parliamentary Register, xxiv. pp. 517-622). In his evidence before this board (cf. above, p. 537) Cornwallis repeated Arbuthnot's charge, and plainly implied that the final cessation of the plundering was due to his own efforts. To this Clinton replied in a Letter from Lieut.-gen. Sir Henry Clinton, K. B. to the Commissioners on Public Accounts, relative to some observations in their Seventh Report (London, 1784). The order of Cornwallis, on which so much emphasis was laid, is in Parliamentary Register, xxiv. 617. Stedman, as commissary under Cornwallis, had excellent facilities for observation. He repeated the old accusations in a note to his History. Clinton deemed the attack worth noticing. Cf. his Observations on Mr. Stedman's History of the American War (London, 1794; reprinted, New York, 1864). It is but fair to say that Cornwallis seems to have done everything in his power to prevent plundering during his march through North Carolina. Cf. his "Order-Book" in Caruthers' Incidents, 2d series, App. Cf. further, Clinton's Memorandum respecting the Unprecedented Treatment which the Army have met with respecting Plunder taken after a Siege and of which Plunder the Navy had more than ample share (privately printed, 1794).—Ed.