In the attack upon the refugee settlement situate in Mor-risania, on the east side of Mill-brook, made by Lieutenant Colonel Hull, supported by General Parsons on the morning of the 22nd January 1781, Cornelius Oakley, accompanied by the principal guides, commanded a select body of about twenty-five volunteer horsemen. When Hull's party ap-proached the brook, it was found swollen to such a height by a heavy rain of the day before, and so filled with broken ice, that the passage was extremely difficult, and could only be effected by mounting infantry behind cavalry. This re-quired time, and the noise unavoidable occasioned by ford-ing the stream, was heard by the enemy who immediately fired an alarm. Day was beginning to dawn when the Amer-ican detachment came to principal refugee village, where the enemy though surprised, were found standing to their arms and preparing for defense. Without giving them time to recover from their confusion, Hull gave orders for Captain Honeywell to prepare the cavalry for a charge, while the in-fantry would advance to their support. Oakley overheard, and saw the necessity for prompt action. At the head of his followers, he led the onset instantly against the refugees dashing into their ranks while they were in the act of form-ing, and by breaking and pursuing them in various direc-tions, insured the success of an enterprize, which, but for his quick decision and intrepidity, might have been doubt-ful.

THE WESCHESTERGUIDES 73 In the summer of 1781, after the Allied forces had been encamped upon the heights of Greenburgh, between White-plains and the Hudson, about two weeks, Washington and Rochambeau prepared for a formidable movement, with a select portion of their army, toward the lines of the enemy. Preparatory to this operation, Count Mathieu Dumas and the two brothers Berthier, with several other young officers attached to the French staff, who had for some days been zealously engaged in exploring the ground and roads, and in sketching maps of the country, between the allied Camp and Kingsbridge, were ordered by the French commander to set out before day-light, and to push their examinations till they came within sight of the enemy's most advanced re-doubts at the northern extremity of New York Island.