Lord
Stirling's retreat by destroying his party. He, with a party of his
troops' made an attempt on the enemy's left, commanded by Lord
Cornwallis, and ordered the rest of the troops to retreat across the
creek, which they did with some loss. The number of the enemy engaged
was not less than 11,000; of ours not more than 3,000. The enemy's
loss in killed was over 1,000, exceeding ours.

[From the _South Carolina and American General Gazette_,
Charleston, Oct. 2, 1776, as reprinted in the _Brooklyn
Advocate_.]

[No. 20.]

JOURNAL OF COL. SAMUEL MILES

In the Spring of 1776, I was appointed to the command of a regiment of
riflemen, consisting of 1,000 men, formed in two battalions.... My
regiment was soon ordered to join the army at New York. At that time
General Washington had 24,000 men in his army, upwards of 7,000 of
whom were returned sick and unfit for duty.

On the landing of the British army on Long Island, I was ordered over
with my rifle regiment to watch their motions. I marched near to the
village of Flat Bush, where the Highlanders then lay, but they moved
the next day to Gen'l Howe's camp, and their place was supplied by the
Hessians. I lay here within cannon shot of the Hessian camp for four
days without receiving a single order from Gen'l Sullivan, who
commanded on Long Island, out of the lines. The day before the action
he came to the camp, and I then told him the situation of the British
Army; that Gen'l Howe, with the main body, lay on my left, about a
mile and a-half or two miles, and I was convinced when the army moved
that Gen'l Howe would fall into the Jamaica road, and I hoped there
were troops there to watch them. Notwithstanding this information,
which indeed he might have obtained from his own observation, if he
had attended to his duty as a General ought to have done; no steps
were taken, but there was a small redoubt in front of the village
which seemed to take up the whole of his attention, and where he
stayed until the principal part of the British army had gotten between
him and the lines, by which means he was made prisoner as well as
myself. If Gen'l Sullivan had taken the requisite precaution, and
given his orders agreeably to the attention of the Commander-in-Chief,
there would have been few if any prisoners taken on the 27th of
August, 1776. As Gordon in his history of the war has charged me
indirectly with not doing my duty, I will here state my position and
c