From his memoirs we gather the following particulars : "A picket from our general's division, of four hundred and fifty men, constantly mounted, by relief, at J/brrisariia, from which a chain of sentinels, within half gunshot of each other, were planted, from the one side of the shore to the other, and near the water passage, between Morrisania and Montresor's island. whJch in some places is very narrow^ The sentinels on the American side were ordered not to presume to fire at those of the British, unless the latter began ; but the British were so fond of beginning,

THE TO'A'N OF WEST FARMS. 499

lh.it there was frequently a firing between them. This having been the case one day, and a British officer walking along the bank, on the Montresor's side, an American sentinel -- who had been exchanging some shots with a British sentinel -- seeing the officer, and concluding him to be the better game, gave him a shot, and wounded him. He was carried up to the house on the island. An officer with a flag soon came down to the creek and called for the American officer of the picket, and informed him that if the American sentinels fired any more, the commanding officer of the island would cannonade Col. Morris's house, in which the officers of the picket quartered. The American officer immediately sent up to our general, to know what answer should be returned. He was directed to inform the British officer that the American sentinels had always been instructed not to fire on sentinels unless they were first fired upon, and then to return the fire ; that such would be their conduct ; as to the cannonading of Col. I^Iorris's house, they mightact their pleasure. The firing ceased for some time ; but a raw Scotch sentinel having been planted one day, he very soon after discharged his piece at an American sentinel nearest to him, which was immediately returned ; upon which a British officer came down, and called to the American officers, obser\-ing that he thought there was to be no more firing between the sentinels.