HISTORY OF BROOKLYN. 269

way of Martense’s Lane.1 At midnight they reached the lower pass in the Lane, where they met a guard (probably a portion of Atlee's Pennsylvania regiment) commanded by Major Bird,2 who retreated before them, and sent an alarm to Gen. Putnam, within the lines. About 3 o’clock on the morning of the 27th, Stirling, who was occupying the junction of the Gowanus and Port roads, was informed by Putnam in person of the enemy's advance, and requested to check them with the two regiments nearest at hand. These happened to be Hazlet’s Delaware battalion and Smallwood’s Maryland regiment,3 which promptly turned out, and, with Lord Stirling at their head, were soon en route for the Narrows, closely followed by General Parsons with Colonel Huntington's Connecticut regiment of two hundred and fifty men. Within half a mile of the Red Lion Tavern they came up with Col. Atlee’s regiment, slowly retiring before the advancing British column, whose front was then just coming into sight through the gray dawn of morning, a little in advance of the present entrance to the Cemetery.4 The American line of battle was promptly formed across the Coast Road, reaching from the bay on the east to the crest of the hills which form the

1 In Gen. Stirling’s letter to Washington, written from the enemy’s fleet, where he was then a prisoner of war, he says “the enemy were advancing by the road from Flatbush to the Red Lion.”

2 Major Byrd, or Bird, was an officer In Atlee’s regiment, and was taken prisoner.

Also see the following extract from a letter written by an officer in Col. Atlee’s battalion, dated Aug. 27: “Yesterday about 120 of our men went as a guard to a place on Long Island called Red Lion; about eleven at night the sentries descried two men coming up a water-melon patch, upon which our men fired on them. The enemy then. retreated, and about one o’clock advanced with 200 or 300 men, and endeavored to surround our guard, but they being watchful, gave them two or three fires, and retreated to alarm the remainder of the battalion, except one lieutenant and about fifteen men, who have not been heard of as yet. About four o’clock this morning, the alarm was given by beating to arms, when the remainder of our battalion, accompanied by the Delaware and Maryland battalions, went to the place our men retreated from. About a quarter of a mile this side we saw the enemy, when we got into the woods (our battalion being the advanced guard) amidst the incessant fire of their field-pieces, loaded with grape-shot, which continued till ten o’clock,” etc.—Onderdonk, see. 813.

3 The commanders of these regiments were then absent in New York, in attendance upon a court-martial, and did not arrive on the ground until the battle had begun.

4 Authentic neighborhood tradition locates the scene of this first skirmish in the vicinity of 38th and 39th streets, between 2d and 3d avenues. At this spot the old road ran along the edge of a swamp (now filled up, but then known as the swamp of Simon de Hart (ante, pp. 49-45 and map), and here several lives were lost. See, also, Cleveland, in “Greenwood Illustrated,” p. 88.