Washington's policy at this time was, as he expressed it ' to entrench and fight with the spade and inattock.' The experience at liunkcr's Hill had made the English cautious in attacking Americans behind entrenchments.™

a " Gcii.Tiil Ceor^'-i Clinton, in a postscript tu a friend, writing from WashinsrTon's out ronehm^^ut oi! the iiiijhi uf tli.^ -ictti Ui'tob.T. says: ' Lovt- tu .Mrs. C'Unioii-- tell her i wnie from an eatri;iichiin.-ii!;. 'llie liritisii forcos are iu .siijht, ami wo sluiU probably tiavu batUo lo-iuorrov.- -- tell her to entertain no fearn for niy safety,' "-- Mr. Tompkin's Adarium.

568 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER.

"During the march of the two armies to yVlule Plains frequent sliirr: occurred. On the ISth, the vanguard of the British army were at tack..] • ^ detachment under General Sullivan, and the fight which ensued, (near th.- .- reaching from New Rochelle,) has been always represented as very credl!,,' : the Americans."

"On the 2;st, Colonel Rogers, a celebrated partisan officer in tlie Froncli -....• had accepted a command in the English service, and lay at Mam:u-oneck. A., attack upon him was planned by Lord Sterling, and executed by a force n-::-T the command of Col. Ha.slet, of the Delaware regiment. Rogers was comp;. ;. :■. surprised; seventy or eighty of his men were killed or made prisoners, an '. a considerable quantity of arms, ammunition and clothing taken by the A:;.!-,, cans. On the 23d of October, a spirited skirmish took place between ll;i:;.:< Pennsylvania riflemen and a detachment of Hessian chasseurs, about 240 k:.-- -:-.•. in which the Hessians were routed. These haras;.-iug encounters of the Ainv:;. cans, (attended invariably with success,) tended to delay the advance of tl: • British and to make them cautious, while it cheered the desponding coura-.:e < '. the Americans soldiers, and above all, gave General Washington time to remov..- his stores and entrench iiimself where no army dare assail him,