e it is that after my arrival at New York I
had read some books on fortification, and I knew much more than when I
began at Roxbury, but I had not the vanity to suppose that my
knowledge was such as to give me a claim to the first rank in a corps
of engineers, yet my experience convinced me that such a corps was
necessary to be established, therefore near the last of September, I
drew up a plan for such an establishment and presented it to General
Washington, and which he transmitted to Congress--see his letter to
that body of the 5th of November 1776. In my letter to General
Washington on the subject I disclaimed all pretension of being placed
at the head of the proposed corps, and signified it would be my choice
to serve in the line of the army.

October 19th 1776, the British landed on Pell's point and some
skirmishing took place in the afternoon between part of Glover's
brigade and some advance parties of the enemy near East Chester, the
next morning by order of the General I set out from Kingsbridge to
reconnoiter their position etc. I set out in company with Colo
Reed, the adjutant-general and a foot guard of about twenty men, when
we arrived on the heights of East Chester we saw a small body of
British near the church, but we could obtain no intelligence; the
houses were deserted. Colo Reed now told me he must return to
attend to issuing general orders. I observed that we had made no
discovery yet of any consequence, that if he went back I wished him to
take the guard back for I chose to go alone. I then disguised my
appearance as an officer as far as I could, and set out on the road to
White-plains; however, I did not then know where White-plains was, nor
where the road I had taken would carry me. I had gone about two and a
half miles when a road turned off to the right, I followed it perhaps
half a mile and came to a house where I learned from the woman that
this road led to New Rochelle, that the British were there and that
they had a guard at a house in sight; On this information I turned and
pursued my route toward White-plains (the houses on the way all
deserted) until I came within three or four miles of the place; here I
discovered a house a little ahead with men about it. By my glass I
found they were not British soldiers; however I approached them with
caution. I called for some oats for my horse, sat down and heard them
chat some little time, when I found they were friends to the cause of
America, and