Perceiving that any further effort to hold his post would be unavailing, he retreated to the Dobbs Ferry road near Chatterton's bridge, where he halted the New York and Maryland troops for the purpose of extricating Haslet from the enemy's grasp. With the same intention, Webb's levies were place behind a fence near the foot of the hill, not far from Haslet's left. Very soon afterwards the Delawareans were attacked by the en-emy's chasseurs and light infantry, and by a troop of dragoons, which they repulsed twice. By this time the main body of the horseman having pursued the fugitive levies and militia over the hill, was returning and preparing for a charge. Seeing this, the Delawareans retired. Their retreat to the bridge along the Dobbs Ferry road was covered by the New Yorkers, Marylanders, and Connecticut levies, who them-selves withdrew immediately afterward. At the foot of the hill, all that remained of the five fighting regiments, formed and marched into camp in good order. Webb's regiment was the last that remained upon the

54 THE MCDONALD PAPERS field of battle. "It had the honor," writes General Hull in his autobiography, "to receive the particular thanks of Washington for its bravery and orderly retreat." When Washington saw the danger in which the troops upon Chatterton Hill were placed, he sent General Putnam with Beall's brigade of Marylanders to their support. When Putnam arrived near the bridge, he found it entirely too late to regain a post from which a superior force had already driven the Americans. He therefore marched some distance south-erly, into the plain, and took a position, with the Bronx upon his right. Here he halted for a while, making a timely diversion in favor of McDougall, while the latter was retir-ing to the American lines. The action at Chatterton Hill was followed by some skir-mishes between Putnam's followers and part of the enemy's light troops.