122 The Story of The Bronx 



made and who was willing to give information or to throw sus- 

 picion upon them ; the second deprived them of their personal 

 property without compensation or due process of law. 



As an instance to show the diversity of opinion which ani- 

 mated the Provincial Congress itself, and their attempt to 

 show allegiance to both King and Continental Congress, we 

 may mention the rather ludicrous dilemma in which they found 

 themselves at the end of June, 1775. Governor Try on had 

 returned from England and had notified the Provincial Con- 

 gress that he would land and consult with them on the state 

 of the Colony, on the twenty-fifth of June. Notice was also 

 received that General Washington would arrive in New York 

 the same day as the Governor, on his way to take command of 

 the American army around Boston. The Congress wished to 

 do equal honor to both, but were divided in opinion as to who 

 should be first received by the troops. It was at last decided 

 to divide the troops for the reception of the distinguished 

 visitors; but Washington fortunately arrived several hours 

 before the royal Governor and thus relieved them of their 

 embarrassment. 



Enough has been stated to explain the loyalty of the in- 

 habitants of the Borough in Revolutionary times. From the 

 autumn of 1776 to that of 1783, Westchester County was har- 

 ried more than any other section of the country; and the 

 losses and sufferings of the inhabitants more than repaid them 

 for their lack of patriotism for their distressed and struggling 

 country. While no great battle took place within the Bor- 

 ough, the operations were constant, and hardly a week passed 

 without some military foray or encounter. 



One of the earliest military acts was an expedition from 

 Connecticut under Captain Isaac Sears ("King" Sears), in 

 November, 1775, for the purpose of regulating Westchester 



