to eight thousand men.  At the same time Washington, having thrown Clinton off his guard, was crossing the Delaware on his way south, with six thousand regular troops, two thousand American and four thousand French, to join La Fayette.  French cruisers took position in the James River, to prevent Cornwallis from crossing, and escaping to the southward into Carolina.  Others were sent to close the mouth of the York.  By these detachments the main fleet was reduced to twenty-four sail of the line.

On the 5th of September, at 8 A.M., the French look-out frigate, cruising outside Cape Henry, made the signal for a fleet steering for the Bay.  It was hoped at first that this was de Barras’s squadron from Newport, known to be on its way, but it was soon evident from the numbers that it must be an enemy.  The forces now about to be opposed, nineteen.  British sail of the line to twenty-four French, were constituted as follows:  British, two 98’s (three-deckers); twelve 74’s, one 70, four 64’s, besides frigates; French, one 104 (three-decker),[97] three 80’s, seventeen 74’s, three 64’s.

The mouth of the Chesapeake is about ten miles wide, from Cape Charles on the north to Cape Henry on the south.  The main channel is between the latter and a shoal, three miles to the northward, called the Middle Ground.  The British fleet, when the French were first seen from it, was steering south-west for the entrance, under foresails and topgallant sails, and it so continued, forming line as it approached.  The wind was north-north-east.  At noon the ebb-tide made, and the French began to get under way, but many of their ships had to make several tacks to clear Cape Henry.  Their line was consequently late in forming, and was by no means regular or closed as they got outside.

At 1 P.M.  Graves made the signal to form column on an east and west line, which with the wind as it was would be the close-hauled line heading out to sea, on the other tack from that on which his fleet still was.  In this order he continued to head in for the entrance.  At 2 P.M. the French van, standing out, three miles distant by estimate, bore south from the London, Graves’s flagship, and was therefore abreast of the centre of the British line.  As the British van came near the Middle Ground, at 2.13 P.M., the ships wore together.  This put them on the same tack as the French, Hood’s division, which had been leading, being now the rear in the reversed order.  The fleet then brought-to,—­stopped,—­in order to allow the centre of the enemy to come abreast of the centre of the British (aa, aa.) The two lines now were nearly parallel, but the British, being five ships fewer, naturally did not extend so far as the rear of the French, which in fact was not yet clear of the Cape.  At 2.30 Graves made the signal for the van ship (the Shrewsbury), to lead more to starboard (l)—­towards the enemy.  As each ship in succession would take her course to follow the leader, the effect of this was to put the