, It does not appear that the movement of the van of the Royal Army was seen by the Americans, through the darkness of the very early morning, notwithstanding one of the best of the Brigades in the American service, that of General James Clinton, then commanded by Colonel Glover of Marblehead, had been posted, as a guard, in front of Pell'sneck, the place of its debarkation; and not until daylight had revealed the similar movement of the main body of the Army, was there any suspicion, among the Americans, anywhere, that such a movement was imminent -- indeed, the van had landed and moved up toward the main-land, a full mile and, a half, before either of the movements was discovered. 4 The movement of the main body, in upwards of two hundred boats, formed into four grand divisions and covered by the smaller armed vessels of the Fleet, was discovered, "early in the morning," by Colonel Glover himself; by whom, after he had sent Major Lee, the Brigade-Major, as an express to General Lee, whose Quarters were three miles away from that place, the entire Brigade which he commanded, was called to arms, and moved down the Neck, to oppose the landing of the enemy and to hold him in check, until reinforcements should be sent or other Orders be received.

Although the full strength of the Regiments commanded, respectively, by Colonels Shepard, Read, Baldwin, and Glover-- the latter, at that time, commanded by Captain Curtis -- was less than eight hundred effective men, 5 the brave fisherman who temporarily commanded the Brigade pushed forward toward the place where the enemy's Light Infantry and Grenadiers and Chasseurs had landed, and where the main body was about to land, although the rough and broken ground over which the Brigade was moved compelled him to leave, on his route, the three field-pieces which he had taken from his encampment.