THE TOWN OF YORKTOWN. 685 



killed. The loss of these two officers is to be regretted, especially the former, 

 who has, upon several occasions distinguished himself, particularly in the defence 

 of the post at Red Bank, in 1777, when he defeated Count Donop. I enclose a 

 return of our loss upon that occasion. "* 



It may not prove uninteresting to add the testimony of Lydia Vail, 

 a grand-daughter of Richardson Davenport, owner of the house, who 

 was a young girl about eleven years old when the surprisal took place 

 in 17S1 : — 



"Oct. 19th, 1844. — When the house of my grandfather, Richard- 

 son Davenport, was attacked in May 1781, I was a girl ten or eleven 

 years old, or thereabouts. I was at Davenport's house a few minutes 

 after the Refugees left. Part approached in front of the building, and 

 part by the joad from the Croton, which road then passed by the rear of the 

 house i. e. on the north and north-west of it. Greene, Flagg, and a young 

 Lieutenant, whose name I do not remember, occupied a large bed-room 

 in the north-west corner of the second story which communicated direct- 

 ly with the ground by an outer door at the rear or north end of the 

 house. In consequence of being built upon ground which rises in the 

 rear, Davenport's house was then two stories high in front and but one 

 in the rear. This is partly the case at present. My grandfather was in 

 the adjoining apartment, and overheard all the conversation of the three 

 officers. The rashness and folly of the young Lieutenant was the cause 

 of the disaster, as my grandfather and his family always said; at least as 

 far as relates to the bloodshed. This was their account, which I heard 

 at the time and often afterwards. When the Refugees came up they 

 fired a volley, to signalize their friends in the orchard near Pines Bridge, 

 and approached the house without making further use of their arms, 

 calling upon the inmates to surrender. The young Lieutenant always 

 slept with a pair of loaded pistols upon a stand at the head of his bed, 

 and when he heard the niose he sprang up, raised the window sash, on 

 the west side of the room and discharged both pistols at the enemy — who 

 instantly cried out : ' Kill ! Kill ! no quarter ! ' Flagg then exclaimed 



aloud to the Lieutenant, calling him by name, " you've undone 



us.' These were the last words he was ever heard to utter. Green, half 

 dressed, but sword in hand, said, ' we must sell our lives as dearly as we 

 can!" and approaching, the head of the stairs, called aloud to the 

 soldiers below : ' Stand to your arms men ! Courage ! They are only a 

 parcel of cow boys, fire away ! ' Flagg approached the window from 

 which the Lieutenant had fired, and a volley was discharged at him. 

 He fell, pierced with five or six balls. 



When I entered the house just after the refugees had left, the young 

 lieutenant wac lying dead at the door. He was the first one they killed 

 on breaking in. Flagg, though desperately wounded, was yet alive and 

 they dispatched him. Four or five were dead, where the tents stood east 

 of the house, besides many wounded. A greater part, at least half of 

 the Rhode Island regiment were cut off at this time. Besides the officer I 



a Washington's Diary. 



~1 



