168 The Story of The Bronx 



dismantled and as thoroughly demolished as could be and their 

 stores and garrisons removed to Manhattan Island, where the 

 fortifications were still further increased in strength. The only 

 exception was Fort Number Eight, which was maintained till 

 the end of the war as a base for the operations of De Lancey's 

 corps and to guard the pontoon bridge over the Harlem River, 

 as well as to serve as an alarm post to the garrisons at the 

 northern end of Manhattan Island. The floating bridge over 

 Spuyten Duyvil Creek was also removed. These posts were 

 not occupied again by either party during the war, except 

 during the grand reconnaissance of August, 1781, when Lincoln 

 and De Chastellux took possession of Fort Independence with- 

 out restoring or rearming it. 



In May, 1780, Captain Cushing of the Massachusetts Line, 

 guided by Michael Dyckman, the famous Westchester guide, 

 surprised De Lancey's battalion near Fort Number Eight and 

 took over forty of them prisoners. On his retreat, Cushing was 

 followed by a large force of yagers and others. This was 

 another occasion when the commanding officer of the West- 

 chester Light Horse was lucky enough to be absent from his 

 command. 



In a letter of Washington's, dated July 31, 1780, we learn 

 that it is his intention to move rapidly in force upon Kings- 

 bridge with the object of compelling Sir Henry Clinton to aban- 

 don his projected attack upon the newly arrived French at 

 Rhode Island, or of striking him in this quarter if his troops 

 had been decreased by eight thousand, the number he was 

 reported to have sent for the attack on Rochambeau. The 

 army was moved across from the west side of the Hudson to 

 Peekskill and the march toward New York taken up ; but Clin- 

 ton, whose departure from Throgg's Neck had been delayed by 

 the non-arrival of sufficient transports for his troops, received 



