their regiments after the battle.]

When Kachlein's[140] riflemen came up, the general stationed part of
them along hedges near the foot of the hill in front of the
Marylanders, and part in front of the woods near Atlee. The line had
hardly been formed before it was observed that the enemy threatened to
overlap it on the left, and Parsons was accordingly ordered to take
Atlee's and Huntington's regiments and move still further into the
woods to defeat the designs on that flank.

[Footnote 140: This name appears in other accounts as Kichline or
Keichline. It is properly Kachlein, being so spelled by other members
of this officer's family.]

Finding Stirling thus thrown across their path, the British also drew
up in line and disposed their force as if intending to attack him at
once. About opposite to the Marylanders, possibly on Blockje's Bergh,
Grant posted the sixth brigade in two lines, while the fourth brigade
was extended in a single line from the low ground to the top of the
hills in Greenwood Cemetery.

Here, then, was a regular battle formation--Grant and Stirling
opposing each other--and we may regard it with interest not only as
the only line of battle preserved, on the American side at least,
during this day's struggle, but as being the first instance in the
Revolution where we met the British in the open field. Before this it
had been fighting under different conditions--the regulars mowed down
at Bunker Hill, Montgomery attempting to storm Quebec, or Moultrie
bravely holding a fort against a fleet; now the soldiers on either
side stood face to face, and the opportunity seemed at hand to fairly
test their native courage. Greatly disproportionate, however, was the
strength of these two lines. Stirling's, all told, contained not more
than sixteen hundred men; while Grant's, which besides the two
brigades included the Forty-second Highlanders and two companies of
American loyalists, was little less than seven thousand strong. But if
we find here a threatening attitude, let us not expect any desperate
fighting. It was not Grant's object to bring on an engagement at this
early hour, now seven o'clock in the morning, for he wished to keep
Stirling where he was until the other movements of the day were
developed. He contented himself with appearing to be on the point of
attack, and Stirling could do no more than prepare for a stubborn
defence of his ground.

The first move of the British was to send forward a