From her window, on that cold starry night whieh succeeded her morning mission, she watched the departure of the British troops to make the attack on Washington's camp. And again she watched from that window when the distant roll of a drum heralded their return from "a fool's errand," indeed; for, "forewarned, forearmed," the Americans were on the alert, and fully prepared to receive the enemy when they came. Foiled, the British returned to their encampment in the city. The adjutant general came to his quarters. He summoned Lydia to his room, and, locking his door with an air of mystery, bade her be seated. "Were any of your family up, Lydia," he asked, "on the night when I received company in this house?"
"No," she unhesitatingly replied; "they all retired at eight o'clock." This was true, though Lydia afterward arose. "It is very strange," said the officer. "You, I know, Lydia, were asleep, for I knocked at your door three times before you heard me; yet it is certain that we were betrayed. I am altogether at a loss to conceive who could have given information to Washington of our intended attack! On arriving near his encampment, we found his cannon mounted, his troops under arms, and so prepared at every point to receive us, that we have been compelled to march back without injuring our enemy, like a parcel of fools." *** Mrs. Darrah enjoined Lieutenant-colonel Craig not to disclose her name, for she feared the fury of the enemy; history has therefore omitted the name of Lydia Darrah in its record of events at that time, and left well-authenticated tradition alone to embalm it.
I walked down to the navy yard, and visited the old Swedes' Chureh, on Swanson Street, near by. Its present pastor, the Reverend Mr. Clay, permitted me to view its interior.
** General Howe's quarters were in a house on High Street, one door east from the southeast corner of Sixth Street, where President Washington resided. Three houses, Nos. 192 to 194 High Street, now occupy the site of this mansion. This view is copied, by permission, from Watson's Annals.
*** Mrs. Ellett's Women of the Revolution, i., 171.
**** Washington, in a letter to Congress, dated Whitemarsh, 10th December, 1777," mentions the fact that, on Thursday night previous, Howe, with all his foree, left the eity, and the next morning appeared on Chestnut Hill, in front of the American right wing. He says, "From a variety of intelligence, I had reason to expect that General Howe was preparing to give us a general action." Writing to Governor Livingston on the 11th, he savs, Howe "came out with his whole force last Thursday evening, and, after maneuvering round us till the Monday following, decamped very hastily, and marched back to Philadelphia."