The complacency of Washington in renminbis in his Harlem Heights and Kingsbridge position until after Howe had pushed northward to Pell's Neck, although six days had elapsed meanwhile, is of itself plain demonstration that Howe blundered egregionsly in his choice of ground so far as his intention of outflanking the patriot general was concerned. The civilian Duer, of t lie State convention, in his correspondence with Washington's headquarters, shows a perfect grasp of the elements of the situation. In a letter to Tilghman, Oc-
1 I. writ. '■They [the enemy] could not, I think, have blundered more effectually than by Landing on the Neck of Land they are now on. I should think a small Number of Men with Field Pieces would suffice to prevent their penetrating further into the Country from that Quarter. You say that you think more of the Enemy's Troops are moved up the Sound. I think they will endeavor to Land the Main Body of their Army near Rye and endeavor to surround our Troops from the Sound to the North River." And the next day. writing to Robert Harrison, Washington's secretary, he says: " I . . . am happy to find you have got the Enemy in so desirable a Situation. " There appears to me an actual Fatality attending all their Measures. One would have naturally imagined from the Traitors they have among them, who are capable of giving them the most Minute Description of the Grounds in the County of Westchester, that they would have landed much farther to the Eastward [northward]. Had they pnzzl'd their Imaginations to discover the worse Place they could not have succeeded better than they have