and put in danger of capture, or whatever the
reason, our picket guard at that point retreated before the enemy
without checking their march. There was hardly more than an exchange
of fire with Major Burd's detachment, as the major himself writes, and
in the confusion or darkness he, with many others probably, was taken
prisoner. This was an unfortunate beginning, so far as our men had
abandoned one of the very posts which it had been proposed to hold;
but otherwise, there being other positions available, it was not
necessarily fatal to the plan of defending the hills.[131]

[Footnote 131: Hardly more than a general statement can be made in
regard to the attack on the pickets at the lower road. A part of them
watched Martense Lane, where, it would appear from Ewing's sketch,
Hand's riflemen were posted before being relieved. Major Burd's
detachment, on the same authority, was probably on the direct road to
the Narrows, both parties communicating with each other at the Red
Lion Tavern, which stood near the fork of the roads. Grant's main
column advanced by the Narrows Road, and possibly a party of the enemy
came through the Martense Lane at about the same time. The skirmish
Major Burd speaks of occurred in the vicinity of Thirty-eighth and
Fortieth streets, on the Narrows Road, where former residents used to
say the Americans had a picket guard stationed. When the enemy came up
firing took place and some men were killed; and this firing "was the
first in the neighborhood." The pickets retreated, though General
Parsons was misinformed when he wrote that they did so "without firing
a gun." There was firing, but no stand made.]

Word of the attack was quickly carried to General Parsons at his
quarters and to General Putnam in camp. Parsons, as the brigadier on
duty, rode at once to the spot, and found "by fair daylight" not only
that the guards had "fled," but that the enemy were through the woods
and already on this side of the main hills. Hastily collecting some
twenty of the scattered pickets, he made a show of resistance, which
temporarily halted the enemy's column.[132] At the same time Putnam,
whose instructions were to hold the outposts "at all hazards" with his
best men, called up Stirling and directed him in person to take the
two regiments nearest at hand and march down to meet the enemy.[133]
Stirling promptly turned out Haslet's and Smallwood's battalions and
marched down. Colonel Atlee, who was also ordered f