Simcoe immediately moved rapidly into the road, and directly up the steeps to the enemy's camp, as a nearer way than through the thickets ; he attained it, and, to his great surprise, found that Major Pruschank had not forced Philips' bridge, as had been intended, but had crossed and joined Capt. Wreden on Cortlandt's ridge, and that Col. Gist had escaped through the passage which had been so unaccountably left open. Lieut. Col. Tarleton fell in with a patrole of cavalry, and dispersed it ; and the Queen's Rangers, as soon as they got possession of Gist's camp, having ambuscaded themselves took a patrole which came forward on hearing the firing. The troops set fire to Gist's huts and returned to their'camp.''

From the American accounts, it appears that all the roads and bridges had been well guarded by the enemy, except the one now called Warner's bridge, and that Capt. John Odell upon the first alarm led off his troops through the woods on the west side of the Saw Mill ; here Colonel Gist joined them. In the meantime Mrs. Babcock having stationed herself in one of the dormant windows of the Parsonage, aided their escape whenever they appeared, by the waving of a white handkerchief.

During the winter of 1780 a gang of six or eight "cow boys" broke open the Parsonage and robbed the defenceless ladies of everything valuable. To escape detection they had blackened their faces and disguised their persons. Upon the departure of this gang their leader, after making a profound bow, thus addressed Mrs. Babcock : . . . -^ , ..'