On the evening of the 15th of July there was a spirited engagement with the enemy at Tarrytown, occasioned by an attempt of several British ships of war to capture or destroy American vessels that had come down the river with ordnance and supplies. This affair is known as " the action at Tarrytown," and in commemoration of it a historical tablet was placed on the Tarrytown railroad station, July 15, 1899. The American vessels, of which there were two according to one account, and three or four according to other (and more probable) statements, were descending from West Point, and

HISTORY

WESTCHESTER

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their cargoes were very important. In order to escape the British ships, which were coming up, they were steered for the dock at Tarrytown, but they ran aground at a distance of about a hundred yards from that place. There being no troops at Tarrytown, except a small French guard, Washington hurriedly dispatched Sheldon's Dragoons from Dobbs Ferry. Sheldon's men, under Captain George LIurlbut, went to work with a will to unload the stranded craft. The enemy's warships, having come to anchor not far away, opened a heavy cannonade, under cover of which two gunboats and four barges approached with the object of burning our vessels. Captain Hurlbut, who was on board one of the latter with twelve men, armed only with pistols and swords, waited until the British were alongside and kk gave them a lire, which they returned, and killed one of his men." The Americans now jumped into the water and swam ashore. After setting fire to the vessels the British quickly retired under a deadly musketry attack from the Dragoons and French on the shore. Thereupon Captain Hurlbut, Captain-Lieutenant Miles, Lieutenant Shaylor, and several others plunged into the river, boarded the burning sloops, and extinguished the flames.