History of Westchester County, New York, from its Earliest Settlement to the Year 1900
In other words, he sought counsel of his fears. It is true the Americans did strengthen their lines to every extent possible, thankfully taking advantage of the respite granted them; but when Howe marched from Scarsdale he was coming to assail intrenchments of entirely uncertain strength, and if willing to venture against them then he could hardly have changed his mind after the lapse of a few hours from any other circumstance than newborn discretion. As for his assertion that the Americans had drawn back their encampment by the morning of the 29th, it was entirely erroneous; although
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HISTORY
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they did begin as early as the night of the 28th to move back their stoics as the first preliminary to their masterly withdrawal into the impregnable Heights of North Castle -- an ultimate movement which Howe should have foreseen if he had possessed a grain of military sense, and which he must have known would prove more and more imminent with every hour that he frittered away before the White Plains works. During the 29th and 30th General Howe continued, with all the sagacity he could command, to inspect the rising American intrenchments and to reflect upon the excellent uses to which the rebels were
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thus putting the unexpected opportunity vouchsafed them. On the afternoon of the latter day he was re-enforced by four regiments from New York City and two from Maniaroneck, and, thus strengthened, he resolved to tight the battle on the morning of the 31st, and made preparations accordingly. But a violent rainstorm foil, and there was another and last postponement. Between the hours of nightfall on the 31st of October and daybreak on the 1st of November, Washington retired to his new position in the North Castle hills, about a mile above his first stand, leaving, however, a tolerably strong force on the lines at White Plains, which held them for a number of hours on the 1st without suffering disturbance from the enemy, and then abandoned them to a party of Hessians that came over from In the inquiry instituted by parChatterton's Hill to occupy them.