On the 3d of June 1779, Major Abercrombie burnt Major Strang's house then occupied as a Court House, and also burnt a store house, then used as a depot for fire arms and stores &c for the military. Shaw was killed at Delavan's stable. He defended himself gallantly, but was set upon by five or six horsemen and cut to pieces. The cowboys, tories, [?] and horse thieves penetrated Westchester, O. & D. Counties all the way to Albany. On the 24th of June 1779, some

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75. 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 about thirty, with black gaiters, who were placed by the Pro- -vincial Congress under the three Committee men from Crompond - vizt: Joseph Strang, Abraham Purdy and Joseph Die, 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 by Hyatt. Two or three hundred tories assembled in arms and demanded the release of Chase, several times with threats which Hyatt refused. Nathaniel Merritt lived in Peekskill, was an influential man among the tories who assembled and deliberated at his house. They threatened, and were so numerous that my father and uncle, Henry and Joseph Strang, went to Connec-

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76. ticut and brought in 600 Connecticut troops who disarmed the tories, placed the arms and accoutrements in the Parsonage House for safe keeping, and a queer set of arms they were - old firelocks, rusty pistols, worn out [?] espontoons, &c ancient swords," &c &c.