Chapter XVIThe Battle ofLong IslandDownon theNarrows Road,General Stirling'sforce was holding its own against theBritish. The patriot soldiers were steady and calm, and loaded and fired regularly and with considerable effect, and had fortune gone well withSullivan'sdivision, the Continental soldiers would probably have won the battle. ButGeneral Sullivan, stationed on the hills south of Bedford, was attacked fiercely in front by a strong force ofBritish, and another force underGenerals HoweandCornwallis, having marched around to the north of this position, by way of theJamaica Road, attackedSullivanfrom the rear, and his force, thus caught between two fires, was driven back and forth among the trees, with disastrous results.General Putnam, watching the battle from theHeights, through his glass, saw that Sullivan was in difficulties and in danger of capture, and he decided to send a message toStirling, warning him of this fact, and ordering him to retreat toward theHeightsas quickly as possible–for as soon asSullivan'sforce was overpowered, theBritishwould sweep on across the fields and fall upon the rear ofStirling'sforce and capture it. So, having written a brief note,General PutnamsummonedDick Dare.“Do you think you can findGeneral Stirling?” the general asked.“I think so, sir,” was the reply.“He is over onNarrows Road. You will know him, because he will be mounted on a large bay horse. Get to him as quickly as possible, and hand him this message,” and he gaveDickthe slip of paper.“I will do so,General Putnam,” saidDick, firmly.“Very good. Now hurry. Get there as quickly as possible.”Dickhastened away, running swiftly, and as he passed whereTomandBenwere stationed, he called out: “I'm taking a message toGeneral Stirling.”“Good for you,” criedBen.“Go it,” fromTom.Dickvaulted over the breastworks and then ran down the slope at the top of his speed.“I'm a messenger fromGeneral Putnam,” he called to the sentinel, as he approached the soldier on duty partway down the slope, and then on he dashed, without slackening speed in the least.Soon he was in among the trees and out of sight of the patriot soldiers on theHeights. He knew the direction to go in order to reachGeneral Stirling, and he headed in that direction and kept up his speed.Dickheard the firing over to his left, and knew this was whereGeneral Sullivanwas having such a hot fight with the enemy. The youth would pass within two or three hundred yards of the left wing of the attackingBritish, and he kept a sharp lookout in that direction, for he did not want to get shot by any of theBritishsoldiers.Presently he caught sight of the right wing ofSullivan'sforce, and saw the patriot soldiers firing at theBritishas rapidly as possible, and then he saw the redcoats, who were attacking the patriots from both the front and the rear.Dickwished that he might be able to help the patriot soldiers fight theBritish, but he had business of his own to attend to, and so he kept onward, running at the top of his speed.Suddenly, however, when he was perhaps halfway to the point whereGeneral Stirling'sarmy was fighting so bravely, he was given a surprise, and a most unpleasant one–for he found himself confronted by a force ofBritishsoldiers, which was making a flank movement, with the intention, doubtless, of falling uponSullivan'sright wing. Doubtless another force was executing a similar movement on the opposite side, to attackSullivan'sleft wing, and when this movement was finished, the soldiers underSullivanwould be surrounded.Dickhalted instantly, on catching sight of the approaching soldiers. He had seen them while still they were a couple of hundred yards distant, they being easy to see owing to the brilliant red of their coats, which stood out plainly between the trees. He wondered if he had been seen. If not, it might be possible to escape capture by hiding–if a hiding-place could be found. If he were to turn to the right and run in that direction, with the purpose of getting around the end of this advancing force, he would be almost certain to be seen and either shot down or captured. Evidently, therefore, the proper thing for him to do was to hide if he could find a place of concealment.But could he do this? He glanced around him, eagerly and anxiously. He was determined to get through theBritishranks and deliver the message toGeneral Stirling, if such a thing were possible. It would never do to fail in the very first work that he was given to do in a battle with theBritish. No, he must reachGeneral Stirling.General Putnamhad shown confidence inDick, and the youth was not going to give the general reason to think his confidence had been misplaced.But, where could he hide? While pondering this matter,Dickwas standing behind a larger tree, and on glancing around this tree, to see how close the redcoats were, the youth noted an interesting fact: The tree was hollow. There was an opening at least two feet high by a foot and a half wide, at the bottom, but halfway around to the other side. In order to enter this opening,Dickwould have to take the chance of being seen by the approachingBritishsoldiers.It seemed to be his only chance, however, for he could not hope to run around the end of the force and escape without being shot down, and to remain where he was would be to be discovered the instant the soldiers came up to him.This being settled,Dickdid not hesitate, but acted at once. He dropped to the ground, and lying on his stomach, wriggled his way around the tree-trunk, much after the fashion of a huge snake. He glanced toward the approaching redcoats, and while he could see them plainly, they being within seventy-five yards of him, they had not as yet, he felt certain, discovered him. This gave him courage, and quickly he reached the opening and crawled through it and into the hollow within.Crouching back as far from the opening as possible,Dickwaited anxiously for the coming of theBritishsoldiers. Had they seen him as he crawled through the opening? Would he be hauled out of the hollow tree and made a prisoner?Dickcould not say. All he could do was to wait and see what would happen. If the redcoats had seen him, he would certainly be captured, but if they had not, then he stood a chance of escaping discovery, and when they passed, he could continue on his way and deliver the message toGeneral Stirling. HowDickwished that this might be the case!THe moments that intervened before the redcoats reached the vicinity of the tree were anxious ones forDick. He sat there, crouching back as far as possible from the opening, and waited, and as he heard the footsteps and voices of theBritishsoldiers, his heart came up into his throat.It was indeed a critical moment. It was a situation to try the nerve of the bravest person.Louder sounded the footsteps, plainer the voices of the redcoats. Closer and closer the soldiers came, and then some of them appeared opposite the opening.Dick'sheart was in his mouth. He held his breath and wondered if some of the redcoats would stop and haul him out from his hiding-place. But no, nothing of the kind occurred. It was now evident that he had not been seen as he was entering the hollow tree, and the redcoats merely walked past, without looking through the opening, andDickwas not discovered.Eagerly and thankfully he saw the soldiers pass, and when they had all gone by, and had gotten perhaps fifty yards beyond, he stuck his head out through the opening and took a look after his enemies. They were walking swiftly onward, their faces to the front. Not one was looking back, and deeming it was safe,Dickcrawled out of his hiding-place, and heaving a sigh of relief, he again set out in the direction of the point whereStirling'sforce was giving such valiant battle to theBritish.OnDickran, at top speed, and presently he emerged upon theNarrows Road, and caught sight of the patriot force, and also of the British. The battle between these two divisions of the armies was still going on, andDickquickly caught sight ofGeneral Stirling, who was seated on his big bay charger, watching the progress of the battle.Dickhastened up to the general, and saluting, said: “I have message for you,General Stirling, fromGeneral Putnam.”General Stirlingtook the message and quickly read the few words written there.“Ah!” he exclaimed. “Sullivanis in sore straits, being attacked from both front and rear, and I must retreat, or my force will be treated to the same fate.”Then he turned toDick, and said: “TelGeneral PutnamI will begin retreating toward theHeightsat once.”“Yes,General Stirling,” saidDick, and then he moved away, in the direction from which he had come, whileGeneral Stirlinggave the order for his force to beat a retreat. They obeyed, though reluctantly, for they did not know thatSullivan'sforce was practically in the hands of theBritish, and so could not understand why the order to retreat was given. They knew there was a strong force of redcoats over to their left hand, however, and so they kept a sharp lookout in that direction as they fell back. They were attacked from that side, by a part of the force, andGeneral Stirling, while fighting valiantly, was surrounded and made a prisoner.Dick, from quite a distance, saw the capture ofGeneral Stirling, and he remained where he was for a little while, until he saw that the main force underStirlingsucceeded in getting past theBritishand were coming toward theHeights, which they would undoubtedly succeed in reaching, and then he turned and hastened on up to theHeights, and made his way toGeneral Putnam.“I delivered the message toGeneral Stirling, sir,” the youth said, “and he told me to say to you that he would begin a retreat at once.”“Very well,Dick,” saidPutnam. “You did well to deliver the message.”“I saw his force retreating, sir, from down the slope a ways,” went onDick, “and I saw some of the redcoats make a prisoner ofGeneral Stirling.”“So you say, my boy?” exclaimedPutnam. “That is bad. Well, it cannot be helped. But, I think the major portion of his force will succeed in reaching theHeights.”“Yes, I think so,General Putnam. The soldiers are coming steadily, and have got past the main part of theBritishforce.”“Thanks for the information,Dick,” said the general, and then the youth rejoined his comrades at the breastworks.TomandBenhad many questions to ask, and he told them briefly the story of his trip with the despatch.The soldiers ofStirling'sforce reached and entered the works on theHeightsby the timeDickhad finished his story, and the battle ofLong Islandwas practically ended, the firing ceasing very soon afterwards.TheBritisharmy now advanced till in front ofBrooklyn Heights, but it did not attempt to storm the defenses. DoubtlessGeneral Howeremembered Bunker Hill, and felt that a repetition of that experience would be disastrous to the king's cause.General Washingtonsent over two thousand more soldiers, from New York, which made the force ten thousand strong within the patriot works ofBrooklyn Heights, and he was positive, as wasGeneral Putnamalso, that theHeightscould be held, that if theBritishmade an attack it would be disastrous for them.The action ofGeneral Howeshowed that he thought so too, for instead of getting ready to attack, he stretched his force around theHeights, from the East River on the north to the East River again, on the south, in a semicircle, and it was plain that his intention was to establish a siege.General Washingtonrealized at once that it would not do to stay onBrooklyn Heights, under such circumstances, for if theBritishfleet were to come up the East River and cut off the patriot army's retreat in that direction, the only result possible would be the surrender of the Continental army on theHeights. As he had no intention of surrendering, he decided to evacuate the position, and that night all the boats that could be gathered together were secured and the patriot army was removed across the river to New York. Also all the arms, ammunitions, provisions of every kind, and the heavy artillery, were ferried over. Nothing was left, and when next morning theBritishlooked up at the works on theHeights, they were amazed to see no signs of life there–for so silently and cautiously had the patriots worked during the night that theBritishhad not gotten an inkling of the movement. The redcoats pushed up the hill, and climbed over the works, only to stare around in dismay. Nothing was left of the big army that had been there only the evening before.This achievement ofGeneral Washington, this wonderful feat of withdrawing an entire army of ten thousand men, with all the arms, including heavy artillery, and the ammunitions and provisions from right under the very nose of the enemy, and without the enemy even suspecting what was going on, will always be considered one of the greatest triumphs of generalship the world has ever known. This feat, when it became known in England, caused some of the greatest soldiers, and generals, and over in Europe as well, to shake their heads and declare thatGeneral Washingtonwas a commander who would cause theBritisha great deal of trouble. And after events proved that they were right in their prophecies.General Putnammust have toldGeneral WashingtonaboutDick Darehaving carried a message practically through the lines of theBritish, toGeneral Stirling, during the battle ofLong Island, for the commander-in-chief, happening to seeDickthe day after the army took up quarters in New York, spoke to him about the matter, and complimented him on having successfully delivered the message, thus probably savingStirling'sforce from capture.To say thatDickwas well pleased at receiving words of praise from the lips of the commander-in-chief is stating it mildly. And when he toldTomandBenwhatGeneral Washingtonhad said, they were well pleased also, and declared that the commander-in-chief should have cause to be satisfied with all three of them many times before the end of the war, and, as friends will find, if they read the succeeding volume of the Dare Boys Series, which will be entitled, “The Dare Boys on The Hudson,” the brothers kept their word, and performed many, many wonderful deeds of daring while fighting for Liberty.TheBritishcommander-in-chief now put in a week trying to get the patriot commander-in-chief to agree to peace, he stating that the king would make certain concessions, but as in accordance with the Declaration of Independence this was not to be thought of for a moment, the interviews came to naught, and so theBritishcommander-in-chief began making preparations to continue the war. His next move, undoubtedly would be to capture New York City, andGeneral Washingtonknew this would be an easy matter, so he made preparations to retreat toHarlem Heights, on the banks of the Hudson at the north end of Manhattan Island, where he would occupy a strategic position.On the fifteenth of September theBritishmade the move that was expected. Warships fromAdmiral Howe'sfleet ascended the Hudson river as far as Bloomingdale, and the East River as far as Blackwell's Island, and while they bombarded the north end of the island,General Howebrought his army across from Brooklyn in boats, and landed at Kipp's Bay, near what is now the foot of 34th Street.General Washingtoncame down from theHeightswith two brigades of patriot soldiers, with the purpose of holding theBritishin check long enough forGeneral Putnamto evacuate the lower part of the city with the four thousand soldiers under him at that point. This was accomplished, and whenPutnamand his men were safe on theHeights, the two brigades retired to theHeightsalso. TheBritishthen took possession of New York City, and so the two armies lay, the Continental on theHeightsand theBritishin the city, confronting each other, on Manhattan Island.It was an interesting situation, and especially so toDickandTom DareandBen Foster, who were now just beginning to feel that they were soldiers in the patriot army.One evening, a few days after theBritishtook possession of New York and the patriots took up their station onHarlem Heights, the commander-in-chief of the patriot army made the soldiers a stirring speech, as they were assembled at the center of the encampment, saying that he expected each and every soldier to do his full duty, and support the cause of Liberty with his life if need be. The speech made a great impression onDick,TomandBen, and when they went to their quarters, they were enthusiastic about it.“I'll tell you what, boys,” saidTom Dare, “it was wonderful, the wayGeneral Washingtontalked, wasn't it?”“Yes,Tom,” agreedDick, “and we'll come up to his expectations, too, or know the reason why.”And in enthusiastic unisonTomandBenexclaimed:“Yes, yes! That we will,Dick!”And when the time came, they kept their word.
Downon theNarrows Road,General Stirling'sforce was holding its own against theBritish. The patriot soldiers were steady and calm, and loaded and fired regularly and with considerable effect, and had fortune gone well withSullivan'sdivision, the Continental soldiers would probably have won the battle. ButGeneral Sullivan, stationed on the hills south of Bedford, was attacked fiercely in front by a strong force ofBritish, and another force underGenerals HoweandCornwallis, having marched around to the north of this position, by way of theJamaica Road, attackedSullivanfrom the rear, and his force, thus caught between two fires, was driven back and forth among the trees, with disastrous results.
General Putnam, watching the battle from theHeights, through his glass, saw that Sullivan was in difficulties and in danger of capture, and he decided to send a message toStirling, warning him of this fact, and ordering him to retreat toward theHeightsas quickly as possible–for as soon asSullivan'sforce was overpowered, theBritishwould sweep on across the fields and fall upon the rear ofStirling'sforce and capture it. So, having written a brief note,General PutnamsummonedDick Dare.
“Do you think you can findGeneral Stirling?” the general asked.
“I think so, sir,” was the reply.
“He is over onNarrows Road. You will know him, because he will be mounted on a large bay horse. Get to him as quickly as possible, and hand him this message,” and he gaveDickthe slip of paper.
“I will do so,General Putnam,” saidDick, firmly.
“Very good. Now hurry. Get there as quickly as possible.”
Dickhastened away, running swiftly, and as he passed whereTomandBenwere stationed, he called out: “I'm taking a message toGeneral Stirling.”
“Good for you,” criedBen.
“Go it,” fromTom.
Dickvaulted over the breastworks and then ran down the slope at the top of his speed.
“I'm a messenger fromGeneral Putnam,” he called to the sentinel, as he approached the soldier on duty partway down the slope, and then on he dashed, without slackening speed in the least.
Soon he was in among the trees and out of sight of the patriot soldiers on theHeights. He knew the direction to go in order to reachGeneral Stirling, and he headed in that direction and kept up his speed.
Dickheard the firing over to his left, and knew this was whereGeneral Sullivanwas having such a hot fight with the enemy. The youth would pass within two or three hundred yards of the left wing of the attackingBritish, and he kept a sharp lookout in that direction, for he did not want to get shot by any of theBritishsoldiers.
Presently he caught sight of the right wing ofSullivan'sforce, and saw the patriot soldiers firing at theBritishas rapidly as possible, and then he saw the redcoats, who were attacking the patriots from both the front and the rear.
Dickwished that he might be able to help the patriot soldiers fight theBritish, but he had business of his own to attend to, and so he kept onward, running at the top of his speed.
Suddenly, however, when he was perhaps halfway to the point whereGeneral Stirling'sarmy was fighting so bravely, he was given a surprise, and a most unpleasant one–for he found himself confronted by a force ofBritishsoldiers, which was making a flank movement, with the intention, doubtless, of falling uponSullivan'sright wing. Doubtless another force was executing a similar movement on the opposite side, to attackSullivan'sleft wing, and when this movement was finished, the soldiers underSullivanwould be surrounded.
Dickhalted instantly, on catching sight of the approaching soldiers. He had seen them while still they were a couple of hundred yards distant, they being easy to see owing to the brilliant red of their coats, which stood out plainly between the trees. He wondered if he had been seen. If not, it might be possible to escape capture by hiding–if a hiding-place could be found. If he were to turn to the right and run in that direction, with the purpose of getting around the end of this advancing force, he would be almost certain to be seen and either shot down or captured. Evidently, therefore, the proper thing for him to do was to hide if he could find a place of concealment.
But could he do this? He glanced around him, eagerly and anxiously. He was determined to get through theBritishranks and deliver the message toGeneral Stirling, if such a thing were possible. It would never do to fail in the very first work that he was given to do in a battle with theBritish. No, he must reachGeneral Stirling.General Putnamhad shown confidence inDick, and the youth was not going to give the general reason to think his confidence had been misplaced.
But, where could he hide? While pondering this matter,Dickwas standing behind a larger tree, and on glancing around this tree, to see how close the redcoats were, the youth noted an interesting fact: The tree was hollow. There was an opening at least two feet high by a foot and a half wide, at the bottom, but halfway around to the other side. In order to enter this opening,Dickwould have to take the chance of being seen by the approachingBritishsoldiers.
It seemed to be his only chance, however, for he could not hope to run around the end of the force and escape without being shot down, and to remain where he was would be to be discovered the instant the soldiers came up to him.
This being settled,Dickdid not hesitate, but acted at once. He dropped to the ground, and lying on his stomach, wriggled his way around the tree-trunk, much after the fashion of a huge snake. He glanced toward the approaching redcoats, and while he could see them plainly, they being within seventy-five yards of him, they had not as yet, he felt certain, discovered him. This gave him courage, and quickly he reached the opening and crawled through it and into the hollow within.
Crouching back as far from the opening as possible,Dickwaited anxiously for the coming of theBritishsoldiers. Had they seen him as he crawled through the opening? Would he be hauled out of the hollow tree and made a prisoner?Dickcould not say. All he could do was to wait and see what would happen. If the redcoats had seen him, he would certainly be captured, but if they had not, then he stood a chance of escaping discovery, and when they passed, he could continue on his way and deliver the message toGeneral Stirling. HowDickwished that this might be the case!
THe moments that intervened before the redcoats reached the vicinity of the tree were anxious ones forDick. He sat there, crouching back as far as possible from the opening, and waited, and as he heard the footsteps and voices of theBritishsoldiers, his heart came up into his throat.
It was indeed a critical moment. It was a situation to try the nerve of the bravest person.
Louder sounded the footsteps, plainer the voices of the redcoats. Closer and closer the soldiers came, and then some of them appeared opposite the opening.Dick'sheart was in his mouth. He held his breath and wondered if some of the redcoats would stop and haul him out from his hiding-place. But no, nothing of the kind occurred. It was now evident that he had not been seen as he was entering the hollow tree, and the redcoats merely walked past, without looking through the opening, andDickwas not discovered.
Eagerly and thankfully he saw the soldiers pass, and when they had all gone by, and had gotten perhaps fifty yards beyond, he stuck his head out through the opening and took a look after his enemies. They were walking swiftly onward, their faces to the front. Not one was looking back, and deeming it was safe,Dickcrawled out of his hiding-place, and heaving a sigh of relief, he again set out in the direction of the point whereStirling'sforce was giving such valiant battle to theBritish.
OnDickran, at top speed, and presently he emerged upon theNarrows Road, and caught sight of the patriot force, and also of the British. The battle between these two divisions of the armies was still going on, andDickquickly caught sight ofGeneral Stirling, who was seated on his big bay charger, watching the progress of the battle.
Dickhastened up to the general, and saluting, said: “I have message for you,General Stirling, fromGeneral Putnam.”
General Stirlingtook the message and quickly read the few words written there.
“Ah!” he exclaimed. “Sullivanis in sore straits, being attacked from both front and rear, and I must retreat, or my force will be treated to the same fate.”
Then he turned toDick, and said: “TelGeneral PutnamI will begin retreating toward theHeightsat once.”
“Yes,General Stirling,” saidDick, and then he moved away, in the direction from which he had come, whileGeneral Stirlinggave the order for his force to beat a retreat. They obeyed, though reluctantly, for they did not know thatSullivan'sforce was practically in the hands of theBritish, and so could not understand why the order to retreat was given. They knew there was a strong force of redcoats over to their left hand, however, and so they kept a sharp lookout in that direction as they fell back. They were attacked from that side, by a part of the force, andGeneral Stirling, while fighting valiantly, was surrounded and made a prisoner.
Dick, from quite a distance, saw the capture ofGeneral Stirling, and he remained where he was for a little while, until he saw that the main force underStirlingsucceeded in getting past theBritishand were coming toward theHeights, which they would undoubtedly succeed in reaching, and then he turned and hastened on up to theHeights, and made his way toGeneral Putnam.
“I delivered the message toGeneral Stirling, sir,” the youth said, “and he told me to say to you that he would begin a retreat at once.”
“Very well,Dick,” saidPutnam. “You did well to deliver the message.”
“I saw his force retreating, sir, from down the slope a ways,” went onDick, “and I saw some of the redcoats make a prisoner ofGeneral Stirling.”
“So you say, my boy?” exclaimedPutnam. “That is bad. Well, it cannot be helped. But, I think the major portion of his force will succeed in reaching theHeights.”
“Yes, I think so,General Putnam. The soldiers are coming steadily, and have got past the main part of theBritishforce.”
“Thanks for the information,Dick,” said the general, and then the youth rejoined his comrades at the breastworks.TomandBenhad many questions to ask, and he told them briefly the story of his trip with the despatch.
The soldiers ofStirling'sforce reached and entered the works on theHeightsby the timeDickhad finished his story, and the battle ofLong Islandwas practically ended, the firing ceasing very soon afterwards.
TheBritisharmy now advanced till in front ofBrooklyn Heights, but it did not attempt to storm the defenses. DoubtlessGeneral Howeremembered Bunker Hill, and felt that a repetition of that experience would be disastrous to the king's cause.
General Washingtonsent over two thousand more soldiers, from New York, which made the force ten thousand strong within the patriot works ofBrooklyn Heights, and he was positive, as wasGeneral Putnamalso, that theHeightscould be held, that if theBritishmade an attack it would be disastrous for them.
The action ofGeneral Howeshowed that he thought so too, for instead of getting ready to attack, he stretched his force around theHeights, from the East River on the north to the East River again, on the south, in a semicircle, and it was plain that his intention was to establish a siege.
General Washingtonrealized at once that it would not do to stay onBrooklyn Heights, under such circumstances, for if theBritishfleet were to come up the East River and cut off the patriot army's retreat in that direction, the only result possible would be the surrender of the Continental army on theHeights. As he had no intention of surrendering, he decided to evacuate the position, and that night all the boats that could be gathered together were secured and the patriot army was removed across the river to New York. Also all the arms, ammunitions, provisions of every kind, and the heavy artillery, were ferried over. Nothing was left, and when next morning theBritishlooked up at the works on theHeights, they were amazed to see no signs of life there–for so silently and cautiously had the patriots worked during the night that theBritishhad not gotten an inkling of the movement. The redcoats pushed up the hill, and climbed over the works, only to stare around in dismay. Nothing was left of the big army that had been there only the evening before.
This achievement ofGeneral Washington, this wonderful feat of withdrawing an entire army of ten thousand men, with all the arms, including heavy artillery, and the ammunitions and provisions from right under the very nose of the enemy, and without the enemy even suspecting what was going on, will always be considered one of the greatest triumphs of generalship the world has ever known. This feat, when it became known in England, caused some of the greatest soldiers, and generals, and over in Europe as well, to shake their heads and declare thatGeneral Washingtonwas a commander who would cause theBritisha great deal of trouble. And after events proved that they were right in their prophecies.
General Putnammust have toldGeneral WashingtonaboutDick Darehaving carried a message practically through the lines of theBritish, toGeneral Stirling, during the battle ofLong Island, for the commander-in-chief, happening to seeDickthe day after the army took up quarters in New York, spoke to him about the matter, and complimented him on having successfully delivered the message, thus probably savingStirling'sforce from capture.
To say thatDickwas well pleased at receiving words of praise from the lips of the commander-in-chief is stating it mildly. And when he toldTomandBenwhatGeneral Washingtonhad said, they were well pleased also, and declared that the commander-in-chief should have cause to be satisfied with all three of them many times before the end of the war, and, as friends will find, if they read the succeeding volume of the Dare Boys Series, which will be entitled, “The Dare Boys on The Hudson,” the brothers kept their word, and performed many, many wonderful deeds of daring while fighting for Liberty.
TheBritishcommander-in-chief now put in a week trying to get the patriot commander-in-chief to agree to peace, he stating that the king would make certain concessions, but as in accordance with the Declaration of Independence this was not to be thought of for a moment, the interviews came to naught, and so theBritishcommander-in-chief began making preparations to continue the war. His next move, undoubtedly would be to capture New York City, andGeneral Washingtonknew this would be an easy matter, so he made preparations to retreat toHarlem Heights, on the banks of the Hudson at the north end of Manhattan Island, where he would occupy a strategic position.
On the fifteenth of September theBritishmade the move that was expected. Warships fromAdmiral Howe'sfleet ascended the Hudson river as far as Bloomingdale, and the East River as far as Blackwell's Island, and while they bombarded the north end of the island,General Howebrought his army across from Brooklyn in boats, and landed at Kipp's Bay, near what is now the foot of 34th Street.
General Washingtoncame down from theHeightswith two brigades of patriot soldiers, with the purpose of holding theBritishin check long enough forGeneral Putnamto evacuate the lower part of the city with the four thousand soldiers under him at that point. This was accomplished, and whenPutnamand his men were safe on theHeights, the two brigades retired to theHeightsalso. TheBritishthen took possession of New York City, and so the two armies lay, the Continental on theHeightsand theBritishin the city, confronting each other, on Manhattan Island.
It was an interesting situation, and especially so toDickandTom DareandBen Foster, who were now just beginning to feel that they were soldiers in the patriot army.
One evening, a few days after theBritishtook possession of New York and the patriots took up their station onHarlem Heights, the commander-in-chief of the patriot army made the soldiers a stirring speech, as they were assembled at the center of the encampment, saying that he expected each and every soldier to do his full duty, and support the cause of Liberty with his life if need be. The speech made a great impression onDick,TomandBen, and when they went to their quarters, they were enthusiastic about it.
“I'll tell you what, boys,” saidTom Dare, “it was wonderful, the wayGeneral Washingtontalked, wasn't it?”
“Yes,Tom,” agreedDick, “and we'll come up to his expectations, too, or know the reason why.”
And in enthusiastic unisonTomandBenexclaimed:
“Yes, yes! That we will,Dick!”
And when the time came, they kept their word.