The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn: Including a new and circumstantial account of the battle of Long island and the loss of New York, with a review of events to the close of the yearJohnston, Henry Phelps
History
The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn: Including a new and circumstantial account of the battle of Long island and the loss of New York, with a review of events to the close of the year
Johnston, Henry Phelps
Long Island, Battle of, New York, N.Y., 1776; New York (N.Y.) -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783
I had not one either killed or wounded. On this the enemy were coming
upon us with a number of field pieces & as we had none there to meet
them with, we were ordered to retreat over West on to another Hill &
join another party of men & accordingly did it & formed a line of
battle. We were I believe near 2000 on the Hill (Chatterton's). The
enemy soon brought their main body opposite to us & formed them into
three lines, one back of the other, & a large number of field pieces
in their front & howitzers with which they threw small bombs on
another Hill. Then they marched their first line off from the Hill
where they stood, down into a deep Valley that lay between us & then
they played on us most furiously with their artillery to keep us from
meeting their people in the hollow & in short the shot & shells came
like hail. I lay right in the heaviest of their fire, with my men by a
fence & had two wounded there & were soon ordered to another post
further on the line of battle up to which the enemy soon came as they
did for a long way in lengths. We gave them a heavy fire which made
them retreat but they soon returned when a most furious fire followed
which continued for a few minutes when their numbers were increased so
amazingly that we were obliged to retreat which we did thro' a most
furious fire from the enemy for half a mile for so far there was
nothing to cover us from it.... I have lost but 4 out of my reg't &
can hear of only 10 or 12 wounded. We are all now within our line &
the enemy are posted on a number of the neighboring hills & we
expected they would have come on this morning when we should have had
an engagement with both armies but they don't yet move & it is now
about 12 o'clock.
[Originals in possession of Mrs. O.P. Hubbard, New York.]
[No. 18.]
COL. GOLD S. SILLIMAN TO REV. MR. FISH
STONINGTON, CONN.
NEW YORK Sepr: 6th, 1776.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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