ibove Pine's Bridge one mile and a half or more, crossing the Croton it Vails ford, advanced upon Crompond from the east by a road which iiiuihIs like a semi-circle, coming into the Crompond road a little south of where Delavan lived. It was at Delavan's house, where they found John Shaw, whom they killed -- mistaking him for Copt. Delavan. This h.ippened in the morning of June 24th, on the road from Crompond to Pine's Bridge, about three-quarters of a mile from Crompond. The British burnt the Meeting House and parsonage and retired upon Pine's Pridge. On the 3d of June, 1779, Major Abercombie, burnt Mayor Strong's house then occupied as a Court House, and also burnt a store house than used as a depot for arms and stores, &c., for the military. Shaw was killed at Delavan's stables ; he defended himself stoutly, but was set upon by five or six burly horsemen and cut to pieces. The " Cow boys, Tories and horse thieves penetrated Westchester and Dutchess counties all the way to Albany. On the 24ta of June, 1779, some of Tarleton's men advanced a mile north of the meeting house as far as the brook beyond my house."
" Ezekiel Hyatt raised a company of minute men in rifle dress, say about forty, with black gaiters, which were placed by the Provincial Congress under the three committee men for Crompond, viz., Joseph Strong, Abraham Purdy and Joseph Lee, who ordered Hyatt to apprehend one Chase a tory -- very influential with the rabble. Chase was taken and lodged in a guard house at Peekskill, whereupon two or three hundred Tories assembled in arms and demanded his release ; Hyatt, hov\'- ever studily refused to give him up. Nathaniel Merritt, who lived in Peekskill, v.-as also another influential man among the Tories; he assembled a large company at his house and threatened to release the prisoner, upon this my father, uncle Henry, and Joseph Strong, obtained six hundred Continental troops of the committee, and disarmed the Tories and placed their arms and instruments in the Parsonage house for safe keeping.