em Plains," and Washington, Clinton, and
others make similar references to the high ground, showing that the
affair was not associated with the Plains.]

[Illustration: FIELD of the HARLEM HEIGHTS "AFFAIR" Sept 16, 1776.

Topography from RANDALL'S MAP OF NEW YORK and old Surveys.

J. Bien Photo. Lith. N.Y.]

This affair, as Washington wrote to Schuyler, "inspirited our troops
prodigiously." The next day the general most heartily thanked the men
"commanded by Major Leitch, who first advanced upon the enemy, and the
others who so resolutely supported them;" and once more he called upon
all to act up to the noble cause in which they were engaged.

The British loss, according to Howe, was fourteen killed and about
seventy wounded, but Baurmeister puts it much higher--seventy killed
and two hundred wounded. The Americans lost not far from eighty, of
whom at least twenty-five were killed or mortally wounded. The loss
in officers, besides Knowlton and Leitch, included Captain Gleason, of
Nixon's Massachusetts, and Lieutenant Noel Allen, of Varnum's Rhode
Island, both of whom were killed. Captain Lowe, of Ewing's
Marylanders, was wounded, also Captain Gooch, of Varnum's, slightly.
The heaviest loss fell upon Nixon's and Sargent's brigades, namely:
Nixon's regiment, four killed; Varnum's, four; Hitchcock's, four;
Sargent's, one; Bailey's, five, and two mortally wounded. Colonel
Douglas lost three killed. Among the Marylanders there were twelve
wounded and three missing. The loss in the Virginia detachment and
the Rangers does not appear. General Clinton on the next day buried
seventeen of our men on the field, and reported over fifty wounded.
Lieutenant-Colonel Henshaw, of Little's regiment, simply writes to his
wife in regard to the action, "I was there," and adds that our loss
was one hundred. He puts the casualties in his brigade alone [Nixon's]
at seventy-five. All the troops behaved well. Greene speaks with pride
of the conduct of his Rhode Islanders, Varnum's and Hitchcock's.
Captain Gooch wrote to a friend enthusiastically, "The New England men
have gained the first Laurells;" while Tilghman wrote with equal
enthusiasm, "The Virginia and Maryland troops bear the Palm." In
reality, palm and laurel belonged to both alike.

Knowlton, on the 17th, was buried with the honors of war near the road
on the hill slope, not far from the line of One Hundred and
Forty-third Street, west of Ninth Avenue. Leitch died on the 1st of