Pn: -.--I am sorn,- to inform your Excellency, that a part of our advanced troops were sm-prised on Monday morning near Croton River, by abuut sixty hor.^^c and two hundred foot, under the conmiand of Colonel DeLancoy. Colonel Greene, who conunanded our party, was mortally wounded in his quarters. The enemy attempted to carry liim oiT. but he died upon the road. Major Flagg was

• „ roniiMj f'om thp nri'^inal. In tlio possession of \\\<^ vy.o John Wunl, E>a.. of Boml street, ^,•^^• V.iik, wlu.-li n-Li-i '.rfS.UT'.'.l I'l .Mr. I{- K. \Va:M •>', -Now York, liy Mrs. DoWctl, tlaiiilllter

of the u; ovc-iiKuU'ii.ri'i iiriirv SV.ird. b SpLirfe's wi-niigsof \\";iMiiii;;ron, Voi. VHI., p-- 1-:.

THE T0^^■^' of YORK.TO^\'^■. 6S5

V.il'.oil. The loss of these two officers is to be regretted, especially the former, vii> ba.s, upon several occasions distin^jiiishedhiniscif. jiarticularly inthe dct'-jnce nf the r^^st ^^ I^f'tl Bank, in 1777, ^vlien he defeated Count Donop. I enclose a p :urn of our loss upon that occasion.''^

It may not prove uninteresting to add the testimony of Lydia Vail, a i-Tand-daughter of Richardson Davenport, owner of the house, who was a young girl about eleven years old when the surprisal took place in 17S1 : --

'•Oct. 19th, 1844. -- When the house of my grandfather, Richardson Dc-venport, was attacked in May 1781, I was a girl ten or eleven years old, or thereabouts. I was at Davenport's house a few minutes after the Refugees left. Part approached in front of the building, and pirt by the j-oad from the Croton, w hich road then passed by the rear of the house'/, e. on the north and nortb.-west of it. Greene, Flagg, and a young Lieutenant, whose name I do not remember, occupied a large bed- room in the north-west corner of the second story which communicated directly with the ground by an outer door at the rear or north end of the house.