The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

198 LIFE OF WASHINGTON. [1776.
moment. Some were for destroying the city at once,
and leaving it a waste, from which the enemy could
derive no benefit. As an argument for this procedure,
it was said two thirds of the property belonged to Tories.
Others thought the position should be maintained at
every hazard, till the army was absolutely driven out.
A middle course was taken. It was resolved so to dispose the troops, as to be prepared to resist any attack
on the upper parts of the Island, and retreat with the
remainder whenever it should become necessary. Nine
thousand men were to be stationed at Mount Washington, Kingsbridge, and the smaller posts in the vicinity
of those places, five thousand to continue in the city,
and the residue to occupy the intermediate space, ready
to support either of these divisions. The sick, amounting to one quarter of the whole army, were to be
removed to the Jersey side of the Hudson.
While these arrangements were in progress, the enemy were not idle, although probably less active than
they would otherwise have been, in consequence of an
interview between Lord Howe and a committee of Congress at Staten Island, solicited by the former in the
hope of suggesting some plan of reconciliation conformable to the terms of his commission. This attempt
proving abortive, the operations commenced in earnest.
Four ships sailed into the East River, and anchored
about a mile above the city. The next day six others
followed. Parties of British troops landed on Buchanan's Island, and a cannonade was opened upon a
battery at IIoren's Hook.
On the 15th of September in the morning, three
men-of-war ascended Hudson's River as high as
Bloomingdale, with the view of dividing the attention
of the Americans, by making a feint on that side. At
the same time General Howe embarked a strong division