Burr directed those who carried the combustibles to march in front as silently as possible; that on being hailed, they should light the hand-grenades, (fcc. with a slow match provided for tiie purpose, and throw them into the port holes. I was one of the party that advanced. The sentinel hailed and fired. We rushed on. The first hand-grenade that was thrown in drove the enemy from the upper story, and before they could take any measure to defend it, the blockhouse was on fire in several places. Some iew escaped, and the rest

Heath's Mem. p. 111.

COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER,

surrendered without our having lost a single man. Though many shots were fired at us, we did not fire a gun."=^

Akhongh the inhabitants appear to have suflered much during the Revolution, they generally continued firmly attached to the interests of their country. In 1775 occurs the following petition to the Hon. Provincial Congress, from the subscribers, inhabitants of the manor of Fordham and West Farms, in the county of Westchester, which

" Humbly sheweth that we were summoned to appear at Westchester in order to choose officers, according to the resolution of the congress, it having been represented, as we understand, that there was not a competent number of men in our district to form a company, we therefore beg leave to inform you that the manor of Fordham and the West Farms have in the militia always been considered as a district by themselves, and that within their limits there are upwards of seventy men fit to bear arms, and that an attendance at Westchester upon the meeting of the company will be attended with great inconvenience to many of the inliabitants and therefore injurious to the service intended to be advanced ; from which considerations your petitioners humbly pray the Hon'ble Congress will be pleased to order that ihe manor of Fordham and the West Farms have a company with themselves, and that they elect their own officers under such inspection as the Honorable Congress in their wisdom shall think best ; and your petitioners shall ever pray.