The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-11-14 00:00:00, page 1

Extraft of a letter from a gentleman in the army, dated Camp
near the mills, about three miles north of White Plains,
November I.
ABOUT the 15th of October, the great movements of
the enemy op the found, their landing in large bo
dies at Frog's-point, and the intelligence which the
Generals obtained that the enemy with their whole
force were ofi' against East-Chester and New-Rochel, and
that both Lord and Gen. Howe were their in person, gave
the Generals full fatisfadion, that Gen. Howe's plan was to
make a bold stroke, and hemin and cot off our army at once.
Gen. Lee, I have underl'tood, thought that the situation of the
army of the States of America was much too confined and
cramped, and that it could not be good policy to lie still in
fiich a situation, er to hazard the great cause in which we
were embarked, in one general adion, in which if we flrould
not fuccced, the army might be loft, as a retreat would be
extremely difficult, if not impossible. It was determined by
the Generals therefore to counteract the enemy by a general
movement. Gen. M'Dougal's brigade from the lines at Har
lem, several regiments of militia at Fort Washington, and
five or fix regiments from the Je;fey fide, were ordered over
Kingfbridge, and marched on towards the enemy, to coun
teract them in their operations. Generals Heath, Parsons,
&c. with more than half the army were there before; Gen. Lee
also now took his post on that fide not far from theenemy. On
the 16th the Gens, were all in counsel, and I suppose determin-
ed to leave Harlem, Fort Washington, and Kingfbridge, only
with a garrison; and march into the country, to prevent the
enemy from ravaging the coafc and surrounding us, and, by
cur movements, to lead them into the country. In the mean
time, the stores, baggage, &c. were moved to places of fafety
with the greatest expedition. Gen. Lincoln had orders to
post himfelf on Valentine-hill, near Mile-square, and to
cast up some works for defence, and redoubts were cast up on
the hills and on all difficult passes or. the road from Kingf
bridge to Mile-Square to secure our march. On the 17th.
Gen. Spencer's whole divifron had orders to march to Mile
fquare, which we reached next day. Two brigades of that
division encamped at Mile-square, on the left of Gen. Lin
coln, and Lord Sterling marched on farther, and formed still
on the left of them towards the White Plains, making a front
towards the enemy from East-Chester almost to White Plains,
on the east-side of the highway, so as to lecure the march of
the troops behind us, on our right, and to defend the teams and
waggons that brought on our lick, cannon, Lores, &c. In this
manner one division of the army passed another, till we ex
tended from the found up to White -Plains, and over to
King's-street, not far from Connecticut line, where Gen.
Parsons took his post, and till the last division on the right
wing, which was Gen. Lee's reached the plains, and march
ed out westward between the main body of the army and the
river. This was on the 25th and 26th of October. , This
left all the road from East-Chester to Kingfbridge open to
the enemy, excepting a few guards, and a regiment at or
near Fort Independence, This I have understood was Col.
The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST.
Vol. lI.J
Price Threepence. Published every Tuesday, Iburfday, and Saturday Evenings.
NEW- HA VE N, November 6.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1776.
569
While we were making this grand movementinto the coun
try, the enemy were not idle ; having colle&ed their troops
from all quarters at Frog's point, and on board their ships,
which were ranged along shore, off against the point, and op m
pofite to East-Chester. On the 18th they began a cannonade
from their shipping early in the day, and landed some men ora
a point or neck of land near East-Chester meeting-house, and
their main body advanced from Pell's neck out towards the
great post road from Connedicutto New-York. Gen. Lee,
who had been watching their motions, had poked a regiment
or two of men, with one of the rifle battalions, in a very ad
vantageous manner to annoy them, and bring them into an.
ambush, which partly succeeded. A large advanced guard
came forward with two parties on the right and left of them,
to flank and get round our people wherever small parties should
appear to oppose them. A small party of our troops were
sent forward to fire on the large advanced body of the enemy,
and to divert and lead them on to a wall, behind which the
regiments mentioned were principally secreted. The enemy
came very near the wall, and received a general fire from our
troops, which broke their advanced party entirely, so that
they ran back to the main body, formed and came on again,
in larger numbers, keeping up a heavy fire wjth field pieces
on the walls and men ; they advanced now very near and re
reived a second fire, which entirely routed them again, and
they retreated In a narrow lane by a wall, in a confufed hud
dled manner, near which were poked a large body of riflemen,
and some companies of musket men, who at this favorite mo
ment poured in upon them a most heavy fire once or twice, be
fore they could get out of the way; and they were seen to fall
in great numbers. The whole body of the enemy then advanced
in solid columns, and large flanking parties advanced different
ways to surround our men ; they however kept the wall till
the enemy advanced a third time, and, after giving them seve
ral fires, they retreated by order from their officers. Gen. Lee
greatly commended the conduct of the men. The enemy were
thought at the lowest computation to have loft five hundred
men, some think not less than a thousand. We had but
very few killed, and, as far as I can learn, not more than fifty
or sixty wounded. The enemy advanced on to a high point,
or neck of land, not far from East-Chester meeting-house,
from whence they were able to command the road with their
field pieces, but they kept very much in a body, so that our
people on Saturday and Sunday nights, the 19th and 20th of
October, brought off more than one hundred barrels of p irk,
that had been left in the store at East-Chester, without any
Wyllys's, and that his orders were, if the enemy came on too
powerfully, to retreat to Fort Washington. Gen. Green I have
underflood is at Fort Washington, with about sixteen hundred
or two thousand men, and that the garrison is well supplied with
provisions and warlike stores, so as to stand a long siege. They
have a communication with the forts on the high rocks on the
opposite shore. All the barracks and preparations for winter,
we have been obliged to leave for the present. Our stores of
every kind, as far as I can learn, have been brought off and
sent to places of fafety; our field artillery, with two double
fortified twelve pounders, and one brass twenty-four ditto, we
have brought on with us.
[Num. 284.