November, 1776, to September, 1783 161 



boat across Rodman's Neck one night and took possession of 

 the market-sloop which plied regularly between Eastchester 

 and New York, carrying vegetables and other supplies. From 

 her captain, they learned that he was in the habit of supplying 

 the Schuldam with chickens, eggs, vegetables, and other farm 

 products ; so they concealed themselves in the hold of the sloop 

 and compelled her master to lay her alongside of the guard- 

 ship. As they approached the Schuldam, her watch called 

 out: "What sloop is that?" The captain of the whale-boat 

 party answered: "The Little Stanton.' 1 "Take care! take 

 care! you will be afoul of us!" shouted the watch. "Never 

 fear!" they yelled back; then added: "The whale-boats are 

 out on the Sound to-night, and we wish to get under your lee." 

 In another minute, the sloop had been run alongside the Schul- 

 dam, and the crew of twelve men clambered aboard and cap- 

 tured her before her crew could be aroused from sleep. The 

 watch was driven below, but the noise of the affray aroused the 

 British on City Island, and they began to fire upon the Ameri- 

 cans. As the Schuldam was a much larger vessel than they 

 were accustomed to handle, her captors obliged two of the 

 prisoners, whom they afterwards set at liberty, to navigate her 

 into port. Before reaching Stamford, they took six other ves- 

 sels bound for New York with cargoes of wood. 



A short time afterward, another party of whale-boatmen 

 captured the island, but immediately paroled the inhabitants. 

 At a later period, it seems there was a tacit understanding 

 between the British and the Americans, by which the former 

 had possession of the island by day, and the latter at night. 



On August 5, 1778, immediately after the retirement of the 

 British to the shore of the Harlem River, the Americans took 

 the offensive and a body of one hundred horse, selected from 

 the squadrons of Sheldon, Moylan, and the militia, with about 



