1 70 The Story of The Bronx 



fifth of March, three more prisoners were taken near it. Per- 

 haps, the hope of taking De Lancey himself, whose quarters 

 had been removed from the manor-house of Morrisania to the 

 protection of Number Eight on account of the frequency of 

 attacks at the former place, may have served to guide the 

 Americans to his neighborhood. 



In March and April, the traitor Arnold was engaged in 

 gathering a large number of flatboats in Spuyten Duy vil Creek 

 for some projected expedition on the part of the British; on 

 the eighth of April, these were removed down the East River. 



On July 21, 1 78 1, Washington advanced in force to the 

 neighborhood of Kingsbridge with the intention of cutting off 

 the various light corps of the British and loyalists who had 

 been harassing the Americans. General Lincoln and the Mar- 

 quis de Chastellux threw their troops into Fort Independence, 

 and the British on Manhattan fired on them. Several of our 

 troops were killed and wounded by the long shots of the yagers, 

 who kept up a popping fire whenever they could reach the 

 Americans. The advance was unsuccessful for the object it 

 had in view ; but the British were obliged to withdraw from 

 the mainland. De Lauzun, who commanded the left wing of 

 the French army at Eastchester, with Sheldon's dragoons 

 and the Connecticut militia, was to scour the country toward 

 Throgg's Neck, Westchester, and Dc Lancey's Mills with the 

 hope of destroying or capturing the loyalist bands in that vicin- 

 ity. He heard the firing toward Kingsbridge and pushed 

 rapidly to the assistance of Lincoln and De Chastellux. 



After this attempt, the combined armies fell back and took 

 positions well down in the Neutral Ground. On the sixth of 

 August, General Washington and the Count de Rochambeau 

 with their staffs and a strong detachment of cavalry and infan- 

 try as a covering party, made a grand reconnaissance and 



