286 HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.

with heavy rain and an adverse wind, rendered the sail-boats of little use; but, by eleven, the northeast wind, which had prevailed for three days, died away, the surface of the water became smooth, and with a southwest breeze favoring, both the sail and row boats were able to cross the river full laden.

By ten o’clock the troops began to move from the lines; and as each regiment left its position, the remaining troops moved to the right and left and filled up the vacancies.1 Washington, taking his position at the ferry stairs, at the foot of Fulton street, Brooklyn, superintended the embarkation; and the whole movement was conducted with such order and quiet, that it failed to attract the notice of the British sentinels. The intense darkness of the night, and the thick fog which had settled down over every thing, favored the patriot hosts. At a little past midnight they were suddenly startled by the deep roar of a cannonÑwhether from the British or American Enos no one could tell.2 “The effect,” says one who heard it, “was at once alarming and sublime;” but the deepest silence

1 In Onderdonk’s Rev. Reminiscences of Kings County, sec. 820, will be found an interesting account of the battle by James S. Martin of Connecticut. He thus speaks of the retreat: “We were strictly enjoined not to speak, or even cougb, while on the march. All orders were given from officer to officer, and communicated to the men in whispers. What such secrecy could mean we could not divine. We marched off in the same way we had come on the island, forming various conjectures among ourselves as to our destination.” A correspondent in the Independent (Boston) Chronicle, Sept. 19, ’76, says of the retreat “We went over with boats about 7 o’clock. The brigades were ordered to be in readiness with bag and baggage to march, but knew not where or for what ; the 2d did not know where the Ist had gone, nor the 3d the 2d. The last marched off at the firing of the 3 o’clock (British) gun on Friday morning. The night was remarkably still, the water smooth as glass, so that all our boats went over safe, though many were but about 3 inches out of water. At sunrise a great fog came up. We left half a dozen large guns. 3 or 4 men were missing who came off in a batteau. On Friday or Saturday the British vessels came up to the desired place.”—Onderdonk’s Rev. Rem. Kings County, sec. 821.

Statement of Samuel Mills of Jamaica, L.I., a private in Colonel Lasher’s First New York regiment: “When it was known that the Americans were retreating, the grenadiers (of which there were 120 in the regiment) were stationed at regular distances inside the American lines, each one having 6 hand-grenades besides their other arms. In the afternoon and evening, previous to crossing over to New York, the soldiers were continually marching and countermarching; one regiment would march up and two down; one up and two down: so that the troops were kept in ignorance of what the final move would be, but generally supposed that an attack of the British would take place the next day.”

2 Graydon’s Memoirs, 147.