[Frederic Shonnard & W.W. Spooner (1900)] the British commander in dispatching ships up the Hudson almost immediately after his arrival in New York Bay. During the pause after the bitter American defeat on Long Island, all the conditions seemed to indicate that whatever General Howe's preference might: be in the selection of a quarter from which to renew his direct oper-ations against Washington's army, he would at least not neglect to secure a substantial foothold at the essential points along the lower Hudson. Hence the American measures for obstructing the naviga-tion of the river and for protecting the Highland passes. It is of course idle to speculate as to the probable results, in their relations at least to the ultimate fortunes of the war, that would have at-tended an effective land occupation at this early period of the western part of our county, or even of the very small section from Verplanck's 358 HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY Poiul to Anthony's Nose. Bn1 it seems an irresistible conclusion thai will, the latter strategic section in the hands of the British aml tlie nvcr fro... Evings Ferry to Spuyten Duyvil Greek patrolled by a detachment from their fleet, the entire theater of war would have been changed and a prime object of the British government--the possesion of the Hudson Biver throughout its course and the consequent division of the colonies-would have been almost com-pletely realized at once.