from the nearest point of the
Jersey shore, by troops from Mercer's flying camp, and by others
stationed at Bergen under Major Knowlton, Putnam's favorite officer
for daring enterprises. Projectors are subject to disappointments. It
was impossible to construct a sufficient number of fire-ships and
galleys in time. The flying camp, too, recruited but slowly, and
scarcely exceeded three thousand men; the combined attack by fire and
sword had therefore to be given up.

In the course of a few days arrived a hundred sail, with large
reinforcements, among which were one thousand Hessians, and as many
more were reported to be on the way. The troops were disembarked on
Staten Island, and fortifications thrown up on some of the most
commanding hills. All projects of attack upon the enemy were now out
of the question. Indeed, some of Washington's ablest advisers
questioned the policy of remaining in New York, where they might be
entrapped as the British had been in Boston.

During the latter part of July, and the early part of August, ships of
war with their tenders continued to arrive, and Scotch Highlanders,
Hessians, and other troops to be landed on Staten Island. At the
beginning of August, the squadron with Sir Henry Clinton, recently
repulsed at Charleston, anchored in the bay.

In the meantime, Putnam's contrivances for obstructing the channel had
reached their destined place. A letter, dated Fort Washington, August
3d, says: "Four ships, chained and boomed, with a number of amazing
large chevaux-de-frise, were sunk close by the fort under command of
General Mifflin, which fort mounts thirty-two pieces of heavy cannon.
We are thoroughly sanguine that they (the ships up the river) never
will be able to join the British fleet, nor assistance from the fleet
be afforded to them." Another letter, written at the same date from
Tarrytown, on the borders of the Tappan Sea, gives an account of an
attack made by six row galleys upon the Phoenix and the Rose. They
fought bravely for two hours, hulling the ships repeatedly, but
sustaining great damage in return; until their commodore, Colonel
Tupper, gave the signal to draw off.

The force of the enemy collected in the neighborhood of New York was
about thirty thousand men; that of the Americans a little more than
seventeen thousand, but was subsequently increased to twenty thousand,
for the most part, raw and undisciplined. One-fourth were on the sick
list with bilious and putr