History of Westchester County, New York, Vol. I
Lieutenant colonel Tench Tilghinan, one of the Aides of General Washington, in a letter to his father, dated "White-Plains, 3l8t Octo- " ber, 1776," said, "On Monday morning we reel Information that the " Enemy were in Motion and in March towards our Lines, all our Men " were immediately at their Alarm Posts and about 20(10 detached to give "the Knemy as much annoyance as possible on their approach ;" and Brigade-major Tallmadge, of the Brigade commanded by General Wadsworth, himself present and a participant in the affair, stated, {Memoir of Colonel Bciijinnin Tallmadge, prepared by himsflf 13,) that it was "a detachment of 20fK) or 3000 men ;" both of which statements, from those who were entirely competent to make them with accuracy, go far to confirm what we have more definitely stated in the text.
^ Memoir of Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge, prepared by himself, 13.
l" The same, 13, 14.
11 The same, 14,
12 Gordon's History of the American Revolution, ii., 340, 341, 343.
1'' Brigade-major Tallmadge's description of the retreat, leaves no room for questioning the accuracy of our statement, in the text.
n It was that Brigade, commanded by the same Colonel, Rail, who was captured at Ti'enton, in the following December; and we have ascertained the Regiments of whom it was composed, from the despatch of General Howe to Lord George Germaine, dated "New-York, December " 29, 1776," announcing that disaster to the Royal Army, to the Home Government.
In the despatch of General Washington to the Congress, dated " Head- " quarters, Newtown, 27th December, 1776," the Regiment of Lossberg is called the Regiment of Landspatch. We have preferred to follow General Howe, as our authority, in this instance.