Twice, in 1777 and 1779 when the river fortresses were reduced, the British standard was displayed as far north as the Highland mountains above Peekskill, and for a short time, nearly the whole county of Westchester was held in subjection by the enemy. At sev-eral other times moreover, the main body of the king's forces crossed the Spyt den duivel Creek, and encamped on the high grounds that extend north of the villages of Yonkers and Eastchester, until the approach of winter, when the regular forces invariably withdrew, and took up their quarters, either upon Long Island, or within New York county, near Kings-bridge. During this last season, the defense of the British outposts was intrusted, almost entirely, to one or two corps in the king's service, which were composed of native Ameri-cans. While winter continued, the royal commanders, for greater security, sometimes drew in their pickets a little nearer to New York Island, and they then ran southeasterly from Tippett's hill, across Westchester village, to the East river; but during the remainder of the year, their advanced guards were usually stationed as I have mentioned above. The country between these hostile lines comprised the region, which from that time to the present, has been called the "Neutral Ground." The inhabitants of this territory,

THE NEUTRAL GROUND 3

then consisted, for the most part, of husbandmen who were either old or of middle age, and of women and children. From the beginning of the war, almost all the young men had been out in arms, either for the King or the Common-wealth. Whole sets of brothers, some of them yet in boy-hood, had abandoned the paternal household and gone off to enrol themselves among soldiers, either above or below. They generally remained together, but sometimes disagreed in allegiance and joined hostile ranks; often, never more to behold each other, and not unfrequently to meet again, face to face, in mortal controversy.