Major General Stirling to George Washington, 27 June 1781
From Major General Stirling
Camp Peekskill June 27th 1781.
Agreeable to your Excellency’s public Orders of this day, I have (with Col. Swift, one of the field officers for tomorrow) viewed the approaches to this Camp,1 and think the following advanced pickets will be necessary, viz.
Picket No. 1. a Sub., &c. and 24 privates, to be posted at the fork of the road which leads to Crotons New Bridge, and the road leading to Kings Ferry2 Picket No. 2. A Sub., &c. and 24, at the fork of the Road, which leads from Gen. Hows Quarters into the main Road, from Peaks Kill to Crompond near Jerreh Drakes,3 with a Small detatchment on its left, where a road Comes in from the Cole Berg,4 Picket No. 3, A Sub., &c. 24, a little up the hill, beyond the House Called Gov. Drakes, which is at the forks of the road to Crom Pond, this position Covers the only road that Comes from the left to Head Quarters.5 The Grand Parade I think Should be a little in front of the vacancy left between the wings of the artillery, and Sappers and Miners,6 this will most Equally divide the marching of the details to the parade, and the guard to their respective posts.
sterling M.G.
In addition to the foregoing an Officers Guard (as small as may be) at the Bridge just above Beekmans Mills,7 this is more to prevent Soldiers Stragling out of Camp that way, than from any danger from an Enemy.
Transcript, DLC: Peter Force Collection.
1. See General Orders, this date.
2. For the new bridge at the mouth of the Croton River, see William Heath to GW, 18 July 1779, n.3. The road leading out of Peekskill to the southwest branched about two miles from town: one road continued southwest to King’s Ferry and the other went south to the new bridge.
3. Stirling probably refers to the road that entered the main road from Peekskill to Crom Pond, N.Y., about two miles east of Peekskill.
Jeremiah Drake, Sr. (1726–1784) owned property near this road junction.
4. Stirling refers to Collaberg Mountain, located about four miles southeast of Peekskill.
5. The road from Peekskill to Crom Pond forked about four miles west of Peekskill; from there, a road went southwest toward Croton, New York.
6. For the encampment arrangement, see General Orders, 18 June, and n.2 to that document.
7. The owner of the mills was Gerard G. Beekman (1719–1797), a wealthy trader and army contractor.
The road at this place led toward Fishkill (see General Orders, 28 June, n.2).