"Soon after Tryon's retreat, Colonel Delancey, who commanded the British refugees, in order to secure themselves against surprises, erected a block-house on a rising ground below Delancy's bridge. This Colonel Burr resolved to destroy. I was in that expedition, and recollect the circumstances.
"He procured a number of hand-grenades, also rolls of port-fire, and canteens filled with inflammable materials, with contrivances to attach them to the side of the block-house. He set out with his troops early in the evening, and arrived within a mile of the block-house by two o'clock in the morning. The colonel gave Captain Black the command of about forty volunteers, who were first to approach. Twenty of them were to carry the port-fires, etc., etc. Those who had hand-grenades had short ladders to enable them to reach the port-holes, the exact height of which Colonel Burr had ascertained. Colonel Burr gave Captain Black his instructions, in the hearing of his company, assuring him of his protection if they were attacked by superior numbers; for it was expected that the enemy, who had several thousand men at and near Kingsbridge, would endeavor to cut us off, as we were several miles below them. Burr directed those who carried the combustibles to march in front as silently as possible. That on being hailed, they were to light the hand-grenades, etc., with a slow match provided for the purpose, and throw them into the port-holes. I was one of the party that advanced. The sentinel hailed and fired. We rushed on. The first hand-grenade that was thrown in, drove the enemy from the upper story, and before they could take any measure to defend it, the block-house was on fire in several places. Some few escaped, and the rest surrendered without our having lost a single man. Though many shots were fired at us, we did not fire a gun.
"After Colonel Burr left his command, Colonel Thompson, a man of approved bravery, assumed it, and the enemy, in open day, advanced to his headquarters, took Colonel Thompson, and took or killed all his men, with the exception of about thirty.
"My father's house, with all his out-houses, were burnt. After these disasters, our troops never made an effort to protect that part of the country. The American lines were afterwards changed, and extended from Bedford to Croton Bridge, and from thence, following the course of the river, to the Hudson. All the intermediate country was abandoned and unprotected, being about twenty miles in the rear of the ground which Colonel Burr had maintained."
The above extract gives but a faint outline of Burr's services in the Revolutionary war; yet thus much it was necessary to say in order to give something like a reason for the high esteem in which he was held by the fair portion of creation.
At the time mentioned above, when Col. Burr compelled the rob-
