of the Sing Sing road, but further on. The Buckout family lived on the Courtland farm in a long, low house on the right.

The British party that burnt Crompond advanced circuitously, crossing the Croton at Vail's or some other ford, and coming from an unexpected quarter into the Crompond road at Halleck's then called Delavan's Mills. I saw T[otten] (or whoever commanded) and his troops (which were all horse) as they retired across the Croton by Pines Bridge. I think there were no negroes at Davenport house, but my grandfathers, when Greene was surprised."

[marg: During the same affair] November 20th Benjamin Kipp: "Andrew Irving of North Castle was a weaver and an Irishman. When he saw the Refugees were about to lose their cattle, with great presence of mind he got his cow out of the drove and cutting through the fields with her returned home happy huzzaing for Congress and General Washington! He had his gun in hand and boasting to his Whig neighbors how he had rescued his cow from the Refugees. The Whigs fully believed his story, but the facts were known to his Quaker neighbours to whom he communicated the circumstances and they all enjoyed the joke. Irving soon after went below, and was never after heard of by us. He had much of the characteris=tics wit and learning of his country and was very popular. The Refugee horse on this occasion behaved with great artifice. They recaptured part of the cattle they had lost and retired on the Tarrytown road so as to entice the Americans below that place (Tarrytown) where a fresh party of DeLanceys were waiting for them in ambuscade. The pursuers fell into this trap, and lost some prisoners. The Skinners from above were very cruel, whipping and torturing the peace=able inhabitants to extort their money from them. At one time a party of 100 or 200 Skinners went down to Tarrytown and took all the farmers cattle —

they then proceeded northerly sweeping off all the cattle and sheep, &c. they could find from the North River and other roads east of this place. Near this place on the Hardscrabble road they were fired upon by a party of five Refugees who were lurking at the time in the woods for the purpose of attacking any Skinners that might be out. After firing the five Refugees made their escape. //

Novr. 20th Benjamin Acker, (at Stymats Fishers) : "I saw service during the Revolutionary war, and in the latter part of it was employed as a ferryman at King's Ferry where we made use of Scows, flat boats and Pattianges. I ferried Smith and Andre across the river, September 22d 1780, and was a witness on Smith's trial. In 1781, when the French army lay at White Plains, I was employed