A council of war was held in attendance, beat the headquarters of General Lee, the officers Lee, Putnam, sides the commander-in-chief, being Major-Generals Stirling, Lord -Generals Brigadier Heath, Spencer, and Sullivan, Fellows, Scott, , Wadsworth Nixon, Parsons, McDougal, Mifflin, George Clinton, and Lincoln, and Colonel Knox, commanding the artillery-- to whom Washington, after conveying such information as he possessed respecting the conjectured purpose of the enemy to "Whether (it havsurround the army, put the following question: ing appeared that the obstructions in the North River have proved insufficient, and that the enemy's whole force is now in our rear, at Frog's Point) it is now deemed possible, in our present sit not ion, to prevent the enemv from cutting off the communication with the country and compelling us to fight them, at all disadvantages, or surThe assembled officers, with the render prisoners at discretion?" Clinton, replied that "it is not George single exception of General possible to prevent the communication from being cut off; and that one of the consequences mentioned in the question must certainly This of course implied a practically unanimous conclufollow." sion on the part of Washington's generals that the "present situation " should be given up. At the same time the expediency of retaining possession of Fort Washington was considered, and all the general officers, most of them influenced doubtless by the desire of congress that this stronghold should be held as long as possible, favored the policy-- although Washington's judgment was against it. Preparations were now begun, though with no special haste, for