Battle of Young ' s House The Battle of Young ' s House was a skirmish fought outside New York City between British and American forces on February 3 , 1780 during the American Revolutionary War . A British force attacked and destroyed a Continental Army outpost in Westchester County , New York . Background . Following the British Army ' s successful occupation of New York City in 1776 , the second year of the American Revolutionary War , the areas surrounding the city that were between the American and British lines became a no man ' s land . These areas , which included Westchester County , New York and Greenwich , Connecticut , were frequently the site of raiding actions between the combatants . At the end of 1779 this no man ' s land included Tarrytown and White Plains . The American lines were not far north of this area , extending into Mount Pleasant . An outpost at Four Corners ( in the present - day Thornwood section of Mount Pleasant ) occupied particularly advantageous ground , and its occupation was more than once disputed . The outpost was on the property of Joseph Young , a local landowner ; his house and barns were occupied by Continental Army troops beginning in August 1776 . In December 1778 a British raid captured the small garrison posted there . They burned a barn but did not occupy the post , and it was promptly reoccupied by Continental Army troops in early 1779 . Prelude . Possibly in retaliation for a raid in January 1780 by the Americans against a British outpost at Kingsbridge , the British decided to make a raid on the outpost at Young ' s House . On the night of February 2 , Lieutenant Colonel Chapple Norton and a mixed force left the heights near Fort Knyphausen ( as the British called Fort Washington ) . The force consisted of four flank companies from the 1st and 2nd Brigade of Guards , 100 Hessian s from two regiments stationed at Kingsbridge , a company of 40 mounted Loyalist led by James DeLancey , and parties of mounted and unmounted Hessian jäger s , numbering in total between five and six hundred men . They brought with them two small field pieces , and set out in sleighs owing to deep snow . However , both the sleighs and the field pieces were left behind when it was found that the men moved more quickly on foot . Because of the difficult conditions ( including snow as much as deep ) the expedition did not reach the American lines until 9 am on February 3 . The outpost at Young ' s house was the central point for a garrison that guarded a portion of the American line extending about westward toward the Hudson River and a slightly longer distance to the east . The 250 - man garrison consisted of five companies drawn from the Massachusetts 1st , 3rd , 9th , 14th , and 15th Regiments , and were under the overall command of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Thompson . Captains Stoddard and Roberts of the 15th and 1st were stationed to the west , Captain - Lieutenant Farley of the 9th and Captain Cooper of the 14th were stationed to the east , and Captain Watson of the 3rd was with Thompson at the house . Shortly before the British arrived , a local man warned Thompson that a large number of British were on the way . Thompson apparently discounted the reported size of the force , since he only sent out messengers to recall the four companies out on guard duty . Battle . The first encounter between the two sides was between the vanguard of the British force and a picket guard consisting of a sergeant and his squad . The picket engaged the British , but was quickly overwhelmed by the horsemen and captured . The British cavalry then rode on toward the house , where Captain Roberts and his company had already arrived and taken up a position on the house ' s right . After exchange fire at long range , the cavalry halted to wait for the infantry , which arrived at about the same time as Captain - Lieutenant Farley ' s company ; the companies of Stoddard and Cooper did not arrive in time to participate . A hot fire then began between the three American companies and the British force which lasted about 15 minutes . The numerically superior British flanked the Americans and successfully occupied the orchard that was behind the house . Roberts was mortally wounded , and the American line broke , with some men fleeing into the house , while others tried to escape into the countryside . The men in the house held out a little longer , but the British infantry forced their way in and captured the surviving occupants , while the cavalry chased down stragglers outside . Aftermath . The British set fire to the house and its attached buildings , even though there were five wounded Americans inside . The prisoners , numbering 76 , included Lieutenant Colonel Thompson , Captain Watson , and Captain - Lieutenant Farley , and 17 wounded men were left behind . The prisoners were taken to Kingsbridge . Sources disagree whether Joseph Young was present during the battle . Some historians claim that he was taken prisoner in the December 1778 raid , while others suggest he was not captured until this action .