ods near where we had two Brigades lying as an advanced
guard. The enemy in a large body advanced in the woods a little before
12 o'cl & began a heavy fire on those two Brigades who maintained the
fire obstinately for some time & then they were reinforced by several
regiments & the fire continued very heavy from the musketry & from
field pieces about two hours--in which time our people drove the
regulars back from post to post about a mile & a half & then left them
pretty well satisfied with their dinner since which they have been
very quiet. Our loss on this occasion by the best information is
about 25 killed & 40 or 50 wounded. The enemy by the best accounts
have suffered much more than we.

A prisoner we have I am told says that Genl. Howe himself commanded
the regular & Genl. Washington & Genl. Putnam were both with our
Troops. They have found now that when we meet them on equal ground we
are not a set of people that will run from them--but that they have
now had a pretty good drubbing, tho' this was an action between but a
small party of the army.

CAMP AT WHITE PLAINS Oct. 29th 1776.

... Yesterday about 10 o'clock in the morning we had news that the
enemy were approaching, when I with my regiment & 3 others were
ordered out about 1-1/2 miles below our lines to take post on a hill
to gall them in their march as they advanced. We accordingly took our
post & mine & one other regiment had the advantage of a stone wall
right in front at which we had been waiting but little time before the
enemy came up within 6 or 8 rods,--when our men rose from behind the
wall, poured in a most furious fire.

The enemy retreated & came on several times & were so hotly received
every time that finally we drove them off from the hill. We killed
some they did not carry off & some they did.

I had not one either killed or wounded. On this the enemy were coming
upon us with a number of field pieces & as we had none there to meet
them with, we were ordered to retreat over West on to another Hill &
join another party of men & accordingly did it & formed a line of
battle. We were I believe near 2000 on the Hill (Chatterton's). The
enemy soon brought their main body opposite to us & formed them into
three lines, one back of the other, & a large number of field pieces
in their front & howitzers with which they threw small bombs on
another Hill. Then they marched their first line off from the Hill
where they stood, down into a deep Valley