brigade of
light infantry and the reserves of grenadiers and foot, forming an
advance corps four thousand strong and headed by Sir Henry Clinton and
Lord Cornwallis, entered the flotilla and were rowed in ten divisions
to the Gravesend landing, where they formed upon the plain without
opposition.[109] Then followed the remaining troops from the
transports, and before noon the fifteen thousand, with guns and
baggage, had been safely transferred to Long Island. All who witnessed
this naval spectacle that morning were the enemy themselves, a few
Dutch farmers in the vicinity, and the pickets of Hand's riflemen, who
at once reported the movement at camp.

[Footnote 109: The landing-place was at the present village of Bath.
No opposition by the Americans would have availed and none was
attempted. Washington wrote to Hancock, August 20th: "Nor will it be
possible to prevent their landing on the island, as its great extent
affords a variety of places favorable for that purpose, and the whole
of our works on it are at the end opposite to the city. However, we
shall attempt to harass them as much as possible, which will be all
that we can do." To the same effect Colonel Reed's letter of August
23d: "As there were so many landing-places, and the people of the
island generally so treacherous, we never expected to prevent the
landing." General Parsons says (_Document_ 5): "The landing of the
troops could not be prevented at the distance of six or seven miles
from our lines, in a plain under the cannon of the ships, just within
the shore." An American battery had gone down to De Nyse's, earlier in
the summer, to annoy the Asia, but there was none there at this date.
The particulars of the debarkation and of subsequent movements of the
enemy appear in the reports and letters of the two Howes and Sir
George Collier. (_Force_, 5th Series, vol. i., pp. 1255-6; and _Naval
Chronicle_, 1841.)]

The landing successfully effected, Cornwallis was immediately detached
with the reserves, Donop's corps of chasseurs and grenadiers, and six
field-pieces, to occupy the village of Flatbush, but with orders not
to attempt the "pass" beyond, if he found it held by the rebels; and
the main force encamped nearer the coast, from the Narrows to
Flatlands. As Cornwallis advanced, Colonel Hand and his two hundred
riflemen hurried down from their outpost camp above Utrecht, and,
keeping close to the enemy's front, marched part of the way "alongside
of the