"The inhabitants of the country," says the Abbe Robin, " were greatly surprised to see us returning by the same road, so poor, and the Tories, with a malicious sneer, demanded if we were going to rest from our labors/' By the 2Cth both armies had completed their movement across King'?. Ferry. The advance through the eastern part of New Jersey was made so as to have it appear that Staten Island was menaced. Sir Henry Clinton suspected nothing of the truth until Washington was well advanced toward Philadelphia. Everything conjoined to favor the ultimate object of the campaign. The fleet of de -Grasse, comprising twenty-eight ships of the line with some 4,000 troops on board, arrived in Chesapeake Bay on the 30th of August. Washington and Rochambeau, with their forces, sat down before Yorktown in the latter part of September. The place surrendered, more than 7.000 British and Hessian troops laying down their arms, on the 19th of October, just two months after the march from Dobbs Ferry was begun. Washington's last act before marching away from Dobbs Ferry

REVOLUTION

was to address to General Heath, the commander at West Point, an explicit letter of instructions. He assigned to that officer the command <>f all the troops remaining in the department, "consisting of the two regiments of New Hampshire, ten of Massachusetts, and five of Connecticut infantry, the corps of invalids, Sheldon's Legion, the 3d Regiment of artillery," and various bodies of militia. He directed Heath to have promineutly in view at all times the defense of the Highlands and the Hudson River. Secondarily he was to "cover" the country below, but " without hazarding the safety of the posts in the Highlands." Finally, Washington recommended that the position of the American forces should not be pushed farther down than the "north side of the Proton, ** and, consistently with this recommendation, he ordered the demolition of the redoubt at Dobbs Ferry.