The 23rd [sic], at six in the morning, we weighed in company with the former ships, and anchored a little below Blackwell's Island on the York side, about-fifty yards from the enemy's intrenchments, to which place the whole body as above immediately moved, frequently making signs and calling to us to come on shore. We continued without firing at each other till eleven o'clock, when the first division of flat boats appeared, coming dowri Bushwick Creek, having on board four thousand five hundred men under the command of General Howe. As soon as the boats arrived within fifty yards of the ships, the signal was made from the Phoenix to begin the attack on the enemy's lines.

It is hardly possible to conceive what a tremendous fire was kept up by those five ships for fifty-nine minutes, in which time we fired away, in the Orpheus alone, five thousand three hundred and seventy-six pounds of powder. The first broadside made a considerable breach in their works, and the enemy fled on all sides, confused and calling for quarter, while the army landed, but, as usual, did not pursue the victory, though the rebels in general had left their arms in the intrenchment. The havock was by no means so great as it would have been had we not been obliged to cease firing on the landing of the troops; however, the ground in some places was filled with the slain, and numbers got off with the loss of arms, &c.

As soon as the firing ceased from the ships I was sent in the barge to tow on shore the flat boats, when curiosity led me to follow the army through the works, where I saw a Hessian sever a rebel's head from his body and clap it on a pole in the intrenchments. While I was amusing myself with these sights, and picking up some curious trifles, several volleys. of musketry was fired from a boat belonging to the Orpheus at us, who had, in rowing along shore, taken us for rebels, as I had on a white linen jacket which I wore at my quarters, and which was all colours at this time with powder and dirt. As I knew the boat, I made signs of friendship, but all in vain; and I was obliged to throw away my little affairs and take to my heels, as the enemy had done before, amidst a constant fire from the boat, who fortunately only wounded one man slightly in the leg. On my arrival on board I found the second lieutenant amusing the captain with an account of his attack on a body of rebels, which I gave him to understand was myself and the barge's crew, by which I had lost some valuable swords and little trifles, which in the precipitate retreat before his arms I had left behind me. Captain [Charles] Hudson permitted me to go again on shore with the above lieutenant, but all our little matters were taken, and we procured only nine drums and some fusees, one of which, being very handsome, I took from the hands of a rebel officer who lay dead in the field...

Mr. Barton leaving me by accident on shore, I rambled into the woods with one of the midshipmen of the Phoenix, who had with him the gunner and seven men. On our entrance into an orchard we took a rebel prisoner who had lain concealed there for some time. From this man we learned there had been a skirmish in the woods with the rebels and a body of the Hessians, and that the former was dispersed all round the woods. Having consulted each other on the consequences of advancing further from the ships, and pleased in some measure with the success of taking the above man, we determined to go in quest of some more, and shortly after heard several voices in an orchard at the end of the wood, on which we assembled with our muskets presented to the gate, and levelling at some men we saw in the grass, were about to fire, when up start two or three hundred Hessians, with flaming large brass caps on, and with charged bayonets advanced rapidly towards us. The sudden unexpected surprise of such a visit alarmed us prodigiously, and we made signs of being friends, which had little or no effect in our favour, as on their coming close to us they knocked us down with their muskets, frequently using the word "rebel," for which they really took us. In vain I assured them with signs that we were part of the British navy, and pointed to my white cuff, having changed my clothes on going on board, that I might not a second time be taken for an American. But I was much surprised, and in fact at a loss how to act, when they pointed at a rebel officer who lay there with a leg shot off, who had on the very exact uniform of a midshipman, which having explained to each other, they again beat us unmercifully, and would undoubtedly have put their bayonets through us had not General [Robert] Pigot, who commanded that party, and who knew me when in the Chatham, have come to our relief, when they made a thousand ridiculous apologies for their treatment, and we returned to our ships, in need of both cook and doctor, and totally weary of our expedition.