[Frederic Shonnard & W.W. Spooner (1900)] After that it looked for a time as though the northern part of West-chester County was to be the scene of large military operations. Washington detached Robert Howe to take Fort Lafayette on Ver-456 HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY planck's Point; Clinton, besides re-enforcing that place, threatened the surrounding country; and then Washington recalled Heath from Connecticut by forced marches. But, as we have seen, the American tactics were to avoid any general engagement and compel the enemy to come up into the Highlands if he really desired a regular trial of strength. As this was disagreeable to Clinton, his whole plan of campaign for 1779 went awry. The British occupation of the fort on Verplanck's Point lasted from the 1st of June until the 21st of October, a period of nearly live months. Clinton's return in force to the northwestern section of Westchester County after Wayne's recapture of Stony Point was made by way of the " Xew Bridge " at the mouth of the Croton River; and it was by the same route that Clinton fell back to Kingsbridge after being foiled by Heath. By the 20th of July Clinton had re-tired as far down as Dobbs Ferry. The British garrisons left at Ver-planck's and Stony Points had a total of about 1,500. From the 20th of July to the 21st of October, when the posts were evacuated, these garrisons were wholly inactive. Heath, in his Memoirs, reports almost daily desertions from them to the American army.