tance, however, before his further progress was arrested by the unexpected appearance, on^his front, of the advance-guard of the enemy's van, the main body of whom, as we have already stated, had been pushed forward, at an early hour, to occupy the landing-place and, if necessary, to cover the descent of the main body ; and who, in the absence of any opposing force of the Americans, had evidently sent out a strong detachment of its force, to see what was to be seen and to take advantage of any favorable circumstances which should be presented, in a movement over the Neck, toward the main-land.

With admirable skill and with a deliberate coolness which would have done honor to a soldier of larger pretensions, Colonel Glover threw forward a Captain, with ibrty men, to feel of that advanced party of the enemy and, if possible, to mask the attempt to dispose of the main-body of his Brigade, in ambuscade, for the further obstruction of the enemy's advance towards the main-land, which was, also, a part of the Colonel's improvised plan of operations. The plan which was thus admirably devised, on the spur of the moment, by Colonel Glover, was quite as admirably and quite as successfully executed by the soldiers of his command -- Colonel Read and his Regiment were concealed behind a stone wall, on the left side of the road; Colonel Shepard's Regiment was concealed behind "a fine double stone wall," on the opposite side of the road, and in the rear of Colonel Read's command ; Colonel Baldwin and his Regiment were similarly posted, on the right and in the rear of Colonel Shepard's command; and Captain Curtis, with Colonel Glover's own Regiment, was similarly posted where the field-pieces had been left, some distance in the rear ; the Captain and his command who had been thrown out, in front, having, meanwhile, evidently held the enemy's advance in check and successfully masked the very important movements of the Brigade, on their rear.