His men had fought hard at the end of a long night march
and needed rest. Besides, he felt so sure of making an easy capture of the
remainder of the army that there was no need of haste. For how could the
Americans get away? Did not the British fleet have them so close under its
nose that it could easily get between them and New York and make escape
impossible?
[Illustration: The Retreat from Long Island.]
This all seemed so clear to the easy-going General Howe that with good
conscience he gave his tired men a rest after the battle on the 27th. On
the 28th a heavy rain fell, and on the 29th a dense fog covered the
island.
But before midday of the 29th, some American officers riding down toward
the shore noticed an unusual stir in the British fleet. Boats were going
to and fro as if carrying orders.
"It looks as if the English vessels may soon sail up between New York and
Long Island and cut off our retreat," said these officers to Washington.
The situation was perilous. At once Washington gave orders to secure all
the boats possible, in order to attempt escape during the night.
It was a desperate undertaking. There were ten thousand men to be taken
across, and the width of the river at the point of crossing was nearly a
mile.
Pages:
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65