Preparatory to this operation, Count Mathieu Dumas, the two brothers Berthier, and several other young officers belonging 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 Kings Bridge, were ordered by the French commander to set out before daylight, and to push their examinations till they came within sight of the enemy's most advanced redoubts, at the northern extremity of New York island. To protect these youthful adventurers, a strong detachment of the lancers of Lauzun was sent along under Lieutenant Kilmaine, a young Irishman in the French ser-vice, who some years afterwards became a General of Division and enjoyed the reputation of being one of the best cavalry officers in Europe. The command of the whole party was bestowed upon Dumas, while the celebrated Cornelius Oakley of Whiteplains was selected to act as principal Guide accom-panied by his cousin James Oakley and young Corsa. Below Mile-square the reconnoitering party formed a junction with a select body of American light infantry, who on the same morning had gone down to explore the ground on the right; and the two allied detachments then attacked and dispersed

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a strong patrol of Delancey's Refugees, and soon afterwards assaulted and drove across Kings Bridge the Chasseurs that occupied the Hessian out posts:--pursuing the fugitives till they came within musket shot of Prince Charles' redoubt. This reconnoisance established in favor of Kilmaine and of the elder Berthier,--the latter of whom was afterwards a Marshal of France under Napoleon, and Prince of Wagram and Neufchatel,--reputations for partisan skill and intrepidity that led to their subsequent preferment. A few days later occurred the grand reconnoisance, which was made on the 22d and 23d of July by the American and French commanders and engineers supported by 5000 troops of the two nations, for the purpose of examining with precision the British posts on New York Island between Hudson River and the Sound,--and of cutting off, if possible, such of the enemy's corps as might be found upon the main.