proached the new bridge in the opposite direction,
under pretence of foraging. Here Stirling halted, but
Lee during the night came near Paulus Hook, having
passed Bushkirk unperceived. On approaching the
fort, Lee sent an officer, with a small party, forward
to reconnoitre. The officer reported that the garrison
were not on the alert. Lee then advanced with his
command. They forded the ditches, entered the fort,
and surprised a number of Provincials, sleeping in a
block-house. They then approached a second block-house,
occupied by a small party of Hessians. “Wer
da?” cried the sentry. “Stony Point!” answered the
Americans. The sentry fired, and thus gave the alarm,
but the under-officer in command of the block-house
surrendered with ten or fifteen men. Lee next
surprised and took possession of the principal redoubt,
and the whole of Paulus Hook seemed his. Fortunately
for themselves, however, some twenty-five
Hessians had their wits about them. They threw
themselves into a small redoubt, where they were joined
by their captain and by Major Sutherland, commanding
the post, and refused to yield. Lee, who had not
known that any Hessians were in the fort, and who
probably overrated their numbers, made off before
morning without even spiking the cannon or destroying
the war material. He took with him about one
hundred and fifty prisoners. Lee had received orders
not to attempt to hold the place, and a rapid retreat
was necessary to prevent his being cut off; but the
twenty-five Hessians, by their gallant conduct, had
probably prevented the capture or destruction of the
stores and buildings in the fort, and had certainly
Page:The Hessians and the other German auxiliaries of Great Britain in the revolutionary war.djvu/250
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228
THE HESSIANS.