624 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



vors by the name of Job, lived to a good old age ; gaining his livelihood 

 by fishing on the banks of the Hudson ; but whenever he could be tempt- 

 ed to relate the horrors of that day, the big tears would start in his eyes 

 and he would sob like a child. Nimham, the Indian chief, fell as related 

 by the hand of Wright, Simcoe's orderly huzzar, in the swamp between 

 Jesse Halstead's house and John and Frederick Devaux's, now the Man- 

 kin property. There he was left a prey to the dogs and crows, to be de- 

 voured at their leisure. All traces of the bones are now gone. Eighteen 

 Indians were buried in one pit in an Indian field ; it is still a current tra- 

 dition, that the old Sachem haunts the scene of conflict. 



" Does fancy's mimic dread pourtray 

 Amid the boughs a spectre gray, 

 Or is it, the boding vision seen 

 Where murders bloody work has been ? " [ Yamoyden. 



It is not a little singular, that a few months preceding this battle, the 

 two British Generals Simcoe and Tarleton, had a narrow escape of their 

 lives, from these very Indians. These officers it appears were making 

 observations on the country, and patroling with a few huzzars. " The 

 Stockbridge Indians, about sixty in number, excellent marksmen, had 

 just joined General Washington's army. Lieut. Col. Simcoe was de- 

 scribing a private road to Lieut. Col. Tarleton ; Wright, his orderly dra- 

 goon, alighted and took down a fence of Devaux's farm-yard for them to 

 pass through j around this farm the Indians were lying in ambuscade. 

 Wright had scarce mounted his horse, when these officers — for some 

 trivial reason — altered their intentions ; and, spurring their horses, soon 

 rode out of sight, and out of reach of the Indians. 



In a few days after, they had certain information of the ambuscade, 

 which they so fortunately had escaped: in all probability they owed 

 their lives to the Indians' expectation of surrounding and taking them 

 prisoners " rt 



Bordering the road north-west of the Van Cortlandt's, is the old Had- 

 ley property, owned by the late Major Joseph Delafield. The following 

 account of the family, has kindly been furnished by a member of it : — 



In 1829 Major Delafield purchased a farm of 250 acres on the North River be- 

 tween Spuyten-Duyvel and the present village of Riverdale, to which he gave the 

 name of Ficldston f roni a family seat in Great Britain. This name, until villages 

 sprang up with local designations, was generally used ; and when, in 1873, the lo- 

 cality - from Y< mkcrs sought in town meeting its separate name, Fields- 

 ton fell short of being selected instead of Kings Bridge, but by a few votes. 



Thr ton easterly from the river ran the southern boundary, in many 



a Simcoe's Mil. Journal, p. 80. 



