THE TOWN OF MAMARONECK. 50 1 



the country of them, I am willing to give twenty-five dollars for every acting 

 committee man, who shall be delivered up to the king's troops. I guess, before 

 the end of nest campagin, they will be torn in pieces by their own countrymen, 

 whom they have forcibly dragged in opposition to their principles and duty 

 (after fining them to the extent of their property) to take up arms against their 

 lawful sovereign, and compelling them to exchange their happy constitution for 

 paper, rags, anarchy and distress. 



" The ruins from the conflagration of New York, by the emissaries of your 

 party last year, remain a memorial of their tender regard for then fellow beings 

 exposed to the 'severity of a cold night.' 



" This is the first correspondence I have held with the King's enemies, on my 

 part in America ; and as I am immediately under the command of Sir Henry 

 Clinton, your future letters — dictated with decency — would be more properly di- 

 rected to his Excellency, I am, sir, your most obedient servant, 



" To Gen. Paesons." ' "William Tex on, Major General. 



This came on Sunday, the 23d hist, and by some means or other 

 Gen. de Lancey's house at Bloomingdale, on York Island, took fire on 

 the 25th, at night." 



" The army marched on the 8th of July, 1778, in two columns to Ma- 

 maroneck; the Queen's Rangers were in front of that, on the right. On 

 the Qth, the Commander-in-chief marched with the army to Byram's 

 bridge : on leaving this camp, to return to Mamaroneck, the next day, the 

 Queen's Rangers formed the rear guard. Upon this march, three sol- 

 diers, straggling at a small distance from the huts, were taken by the 

 militia; Lieut. Col. Simcoe expressed, in orders, "that he is the most 

 sensibly affected at the loss of the three men, who straggled from their 

 posts during the last march. He feels himself but ill-repaid for the con- 

 fidence he has placed in the regiment, and his inclination to ease their 

 duty, by never posting an unnecessary sentinal ; at the same time, he 

 trusts, that, as this has been the first instance of the kind during the 

 time he has had the honor of commanding the Queen's Rangers, it will 

 be the last ; and that the soldiers will reflect what they must suffer by a 

 long imprisonment, from a mean and despicable enemy, who never has, 

 or can gain, any advantage over them, but what arises from their own 

 disobedience of orders." 6 



It was in the vicinity of Mamaroneck, that Lieut. Hickford of the 

 Refugee corps, overtook Col. White, of the Continental army, upon his 

 retreat from Momsania. Some thirty stragglers, who had taken refuge 

 on the ice, were killed by the British cavalry. 



De Lancey's Neck, or East Neck, the ancient Waumainuck of the abor- 



a Barber's Hist. Col. St. N, T., p. 591, 592. 

 6 Simcoe's Mil. Jour., p. 102, 103. 



