[J. Thomas Scharf (1886)] General Washington then directed Col-onel Van Cortlandt to keep his men as they were at present disposed, out of sight of the battery, and at night to surround the town to the right with sentinels all the way to York River, whilst the French pickets would do the same to the left, and the next morning the enemy saw themselves surrounded by a line of vigilant troops, who threw up an intrenchment and planted cannon, to which Washington himself applied the first match. The ball crashed through the town, anil struck a house where some British officers were at dinner, killing the one at the head of the table. The enemy had two redoubts about 350 yards in ad-vance of the line, and batteries which surrounded the town, and it was determined to storm them. General Lafayette's light infantry was sent to one, the French grenadiers, under the Baron de Vioinenil,to the other. The light infantry, under Colonel Hamilton, Major N. Fish and other officers, took the one near the river in a few minutes. When General Lafayette sent word to the French baron, he returned answer that his bat-tery was not taken, but would be in five minutes, 'which,' says Colonel Van Cortlandt,'! believe he did.' Both the above were brilliant exploits, and crown the assailants with everlasting honor, particu-larly as they extended mercy to every one who solic-ited it after entering the works, which was not the case when Dayton's horse were surprised.