Sir

I Have the Honor to Inform your Excellency, That I have this Instant Sent WARD, HARDING & MILLER who Cross’d the River yesterday Evening (with Genl. KNYPHAUSENs Permission) in Company with John BERRY, who they parted with Near Seacaucus, and returned on Account of the Snow being So deep in the Woods as to Render it Impracticable for them to proceed, in any other way, than by the Public High Roads, which they fear’d to do, on Accot. of the Scouting parties, they were Inform’d, Patroled them Constantly.

And they Inform Me, That there was no Body of Continent Troops, either at Hackinsack or any Where in its Vicinity or in the English Neighbourhood and That the Nearest were at Perhamus under the Command of Lieut. Colo. De Hart. That they made very particular Enquiry from the friends they saw, and Could not Learn there was any body of them Exceeding A Captains Command on this side Elizabeth Town, and those were at Newark. That they were Inform’d the Continental Army was fileing off to The Southward.

They Assure me that from a Little Above Weehawk the River is Open and free from Ice as far as they could See when they came Across about Sunset.

Jacob GARRABRANDT a Market Man from [illegible] who came to Town from Ellis’s Island about Sun Set, Related, that he Saw a person from the English Neighbourhood, who told him there was no Continent Troops between Bergen Town in the district he came from & Assures me that since Monday last there have only been three Militia Men in Bergen that he has heard of.

By the Return of BERRY &c, I hope to Give your Excellency a fuller Accot. of Matters as they are Situated in Jersey.

In the Mean while, I have the Honor to be with the Greatest Respect,

Your Excellency’s
Most Obedt. &
Most Humble S
A Z

Saturday Evening
January 22d 1780

[Major General William TRYON]

[Note: AZ cannot be positively identified from this correspondence, but he may well have been Andrew Zabriskie of New Jersey.]

Great Britain, Public Record Office, Colonial Office, Class 5, Volume 1110, folios 28-29.

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