Fort Wash- ington was therefore surrendered. Thus ended the American occupancy of Manhattan Digitized by Microsoft® Forts Washington and Lee 191 Island. Washington's own reflections upon the closing scene, given in a letter to his brother Augustine, will throw much light upon the difficulties that beset him, and his frame of mind regarding an action against which his better judgment rebelled. This is a most unfortunate affair and has given me great mortification; as we have lost, not only two thousand men, that were there, but a good deal of artillery, and some of the best arms we had. And what adds to my mortification is, that this post, after the last ships went past it, was held contrary to my wishes and opinion, as I conceived it to be a hazardous one: but it having been determined on by a full council of general officers, and a resolution of Congress having been received, strongly expressive of their desire that the channel of the river which we had been labouring to stop for a long time at that place, might be obstructed, if possible; and knowing that this could not be done, unless there were batteries to protect the obstructions, I did not care to give an absolute order for withdrawing the garri- son, till I could get around and see the situation of things; and then it became too late, as the place was invested. Upon the passing of the last ships, I had given it as my opinion to General Greene, under whose care it was, that it would be best to evacu- ate the place; but, as the order was discretionary, and his opinion differed from mine, it was unhappily delayed too long, to my great grief. The abandonment of Fort Lee was of course a fore- gone conclusion as soon as the enemy was in possession of Port Washington. This movement was hastened by the appearance on the west side of the river of six thousand British troops under Lord Cornwallis. These crossed on a rainy night and established themselves under the line of the Palisades, five or six miles north of Fort Lee. Extending thence with the evident Digitized by Microsoft® 192 The Hudson River intention of forming a line which should separate the garrison of Fort Lee from the remainder of the Ameri- can army, their manoeuvre was anticipated, by Wash- ington's rapid retreat to the Hackensack. Artillery, baggage, tents, and camp equipage were abandoned. Even camp kettles, we are told, were on the fires when the British made their uncontested entrance into Port Lee. Digitized by Microsoft® Chapter XIII From Spuyten Duyvil to Yonkers WHILE we have been deploring the passing of the white wings, Anthony Van Corlaer, — half trumpeter, half myth, — has delayed his drowning in the wild waters of Papuinemen, wait- ing for an audience. He deserves a Wagner, who might do him j ustice . Anthony the Trumpeter was dispatched on a warlike mission to the Patroon Van Rensselaer, when he came to the stream that forms the upper boundary of Manhattan Island. Warned not to cross, he still persisted in advancing, intending to gain the other shore by swimming. "Spuyt den Duyvil! "he shouted, " I will reach Shoraskappock. " But his chal- lenge to the Duyvil was unfortunately his last recorded utterance, as at that moment his Satanic Majesty, in the form of an enormous moss bunker, took him at his word and tried conclusions then and there. That was the end of Anthony the Trumpeter, but the phrase that he is supposed to have originated is repeated about a thousand times a day by trainmen on the railroad, who have no idea of invoking Satanic interference with their duties. 13 193 Digitized by Microsoft® 194 The Hudson River An amusing story is told of a good but somewhat dull woman who asked a neighbour for an explanation of the strange name that she heard shouted into the car where she was seated. The neighbour, who was none other than Mr. Benson J. Lossing, related the substance of the legend given here. As he proceeded his listener became more and more interested. An expression of pity and sympathy overflowed her eyes. " Did the poor man leave a family?" she finally asked. Upon the height behind Spuyten Duyvil there is the place of an old redoubt that occupied about the position of the Indian stronghold of Nipnichsen. A little way v/ up the stream the Manor Lord, Frederick Filipse, purchased a ferry right and afterwards erected a bridge with a toll gate between the island and the main shore. Near the mouth of the creek occurred, in the early fifties, one of the most dreadful of the steamboat dis- asters of which the history of the