American army, while a superior body of British opposed them. The American forces were completely victorious, finally chasing the King's troops down a hill and being recalled with difficulty by order of the Commander-in- chief. This necessarily brief account of the famous battle of Harlem Heights has followed what seems to be the most rational exposition of the perplexing and fre- quently contradictory records that have reached us. It is greatly to be regretted that for many years no effort was made to fix beyond question the scene of this important engagement. That it was important Digitized by Microsoft® i8o The Hudson River a glance at the cbrrespondencei of the time will show. The Americans, recently disheg,rtened by defeat, found their confidence restored and the British had received a wholesome check that influenced many a subsequent plan. Digitized by Microsoft® Chapter XII Forts Washington and Lee FOR a month after the battle of Harlem Heights the Americans held possession of the northern end of the island, with the works they had erected there. There were three main lines in the Heights. The first was at 147th Street, the second, with four redoubts, along issd to issth Street, and the third, incomplete and with no redoubts, was at i6ist Street. Mount Washington, as it was then called, was sub- stantially fortified, the defences there covering several acres between what are now i8ist and i86th Streets. The armament of this citadel consisted of thirty-two pieces of heavy ordnance. Besides these fortifications the neighbouring heights from Manhattanville to Kingsbridge were the sites of several earthworks, the whole constituting a formidable system, to assail which, after the disastrous attempt of September i6th, the British commander naturally hesitated. At the point known as Jeffrey's Hook, that juts into the river at the base of Mount Washington, a redoubt had been built to cover the famous structure of sunken 181 Digitized by Microsoft® 1 82 The Hudson River vessels and floating bombs that General Putnam had bestowed so much labour and ingenuity upon. One needs only to inspect the river, or even a good map of it, to be convinced that if a reasonable hope of con- trolling navigation from any point below the High- lands could be entertained, this was the place. The river between Forts Washington and Lee is narrow and is commanded upon both banks by high hills. But the stream is swift and deep, as well as narrow, and the task of obstructing it was by no means as light a one as at first glance it might appear. Then, too, the necessity of retaining possession of the shores in order to make the blockade effectual would demand the presence of a large force. The whole of Washington's army was not too large for this work, yet it would have been manifestly absurd to contemplate the retention of the army for such a purpose. It has been shown that the policy which led to an effort to hold this natural gateway after the retirement of the Americans from the city was strongly urged by Congress; nor must we forget, in criticising the military judgment of Washington, that an almost irresistible pressure was brought to bear upon him in this matter by the civil authorities as well as by the counsel of his own officers. The security of the Hudson [says Irving], was at this time an object of great solicitude with Congress, and much reliance was placed on Putnam's obstructions at Fort Washington. Four galleys, mounted with heavy guns and swivels, were stationed Digitized by Microsoft® Forts Washington and Lee 183 at the chevaux-de-frise, and two new ships were at hand, which, filled with stones, were to be sunk where they would block up the channel. A sloop was also at anchor, having on board a machine, invented by a Mr. Bushnell, for submarine explosion, with which to blow up the men-of-war; a favourite scheme with General Putnam., The obstructions were so commanded by batteries on each shore that it was thought no hostile ship would be able to pass. On the 9th of October, however, the Roebuck and Phoenix, each of forty-four guns, and the Tartar, of twenty guns, which had been lying for some time oppo- site Bloomingdale, got under way with their three ten- ders, at 8 o'clock in the morning, and came standing up the river with an easy southern breeze. At their approach, the galleys and the two ships intended to be sunk got under way with all haste, as did a schooner laden with rum, sugar, and other supplies for the American army, and the sloop with Bushnell's sub- marine machine. The Roebuck, Phoenix, and Tartar broke through the vaunted barriers as through a cobweb. Seven batteries kept a constant fire upon them, yet a gentleman