Two regiments of the militia were formed in the road near Williams' house, which, according to the De Witt map, (vol. 4, Hist. Soc, No. 122.) was situated east of the Bronx, and the horses being hitched to the limbers of the field-pieces, Captain Bryant was ordered to cross the river by fording with his piece, and the militia was ordered to follow. Captain Bryant unlimbered his field-piece when he had reached the top of the Williams' Bridge hill, and to prevent his horses being killed, the men pulled the gun up the rest of

> This was on the place of the late H. B. Clallin.

HISTOKY OF WESTCHESTEll COUNTY.

the way with drag-ropes, but the steepness of the hill was such that the men were obliged to drag the gun almost within pistol-shot before they could depress it sufficiently to play upon the enemy. The moment this was done a round shot made a breach in the stone wall four or five feet wide. A second shot opened another and the enemy fled back to the fort. The American loss was two killed and a number wounded. On the 27th the brass twenty-four-pounder and the howitzer were brought up and ordered to open fire on the fort, but on the third discharge of the twenty-four-pounder it was dismounted by its own recoil. No shells had been sent with the howitzer.

Heath attempted in every way to draw the enemy out of the fort by feint or otherwise. A detachment was sent down to Morrisania to light up a great number of fires in the night, so as to make the British believe that the Americans were in large force at that place with the design of crossing to New York Island at or near Harlem. To heighten this impression, several large boats were sent for and brought forward on carriages.