but if it deserves that
name it was the pleasantest I ever heard of, as we had not received more
than a dozen shots from the enemy, when they ran away with the utmost
precipitation."

[Sidenote: Washington re-enforces.]

Though not in personal command when the action began, Washington crossed
over to Brooklyn in time to see his broken and dispirited battalions
come streaming back into their works. Fearing the worst, he had called
down two of his best regiments (Shee's and Magaw's) from Harlem
Heights, and Glover's from the city, to reenforce the troops then
engaged on Long Island, but as has already been pointed out, reenforcing
in this manner was out of the question. By making a rapid march, the
Harlem troops reached the ferry in the afternoon, after firing had
ceased. They were, however, ferried across the next morning.

[Sidenote: 28th and 29th.]

These movements would indicate a resolution to hold the Brooklyn lines
at all hazards, and were so regarded, but during the two days subsequent
to the battle, while the enemy was closing in upon him, Washington
changed his mind, preparations were quietly made to withdraw the troops,
while still keeping up a bold front to the enemy, and on the night of
the 29th the army repassed the East River without accident or
molestation.

Having thus cleared Long Island, the British extended themselves along
the East River as far as Newtown, that river thus dividing the hostile
camps throughout its whole extent. And though New York now lay quite at
his mercy, Howe refrained from cannonading it, for the same reason as
Washington did from shelling Boston; namely, that of securing the city
intact a little later.

In spite of this brilliant opening of the campaign, and outside of the
noisy subalterns who were making their _debut_ in war, it was felt that
the British army, fresh, numerous, and splendidly equipped, had
acquitted itself most ingloriously in permitting the Americans to make
their retreat from the island as they had, when the event of an assault
must probably have been most disastrous to them.

[Sidenote: Losses so far.]

On the other side defeat had seriously affected the _morale_ of the
Americans. Fifteen hundred men had been lost on Long Island. A great
many more were now being lost through desertion. In Washington's own
words the unruly militia left him by companies, half regiments or whole
regiments, leaving the infection of their evil example to work its will
a