express from Major-general Putnam, who commanded at Peekskill,
recommending or ordering Colonel Burr to retire with the public stores
to the mountains: to which Colonel Burr replied, that he could not run
away from an enemy whom he had not seen, mid that he would be
answerable for the public stores and for his men.

We arrived at Paramus, a distance of sixteen miles, before sunset.
There were considerable bodies of militia, in great alarm and
disorder, and doing much mischief to the neighbouring farms. They
could give no intelligence of the enemy but from rumour. Supposed them
to be within a few miles, and advancing.

Colonel Burr set some of the militia to repair the fences they had
destroyed, and arranged them as well as time would permit; and having
taken measures to secure the troops from surprise, and also for the
protection of the cornfields, he marched immediately, with about
thirty of the most active of the regiment, and a few of the militia,
to ascertain the position and numbers of the enemy. About ten o'clock
at night, being three miles from Hackensack, we got certain
intelligence that we were within a mile of the picket-guards of the
enemy. Colonel Burr then led the men into a wood, and ordered them to
sleep till he should awake them, of which we had great need, having
marched more than thirty miles since noon. Colonel Burr then went
alone to discover the position of the enemy. He returned about half an
hour before day and waked us, and told us that he was going to attack
the picket of the enemy. That we had only to follow him, and then
forbid any man to speak or to fire, on pain of death. He led us
between the sentinels in such a way that we were within a few yards of
the picket-guard before they suspected our approach. He then gave the
word, and we rushed upon them before they had time to take their arms,