I have rec'd intelligence that a party of the Enemy are establishing themselves at or near Fort Lee and building a Block House or some kind of Work.
When I formed the Battalion which you at present command it was with the view of having Corps to execute a project of this kind which I shall propose to you, which is to endeavor to strike, by surprise, the party above mentioned.
Lawrence who commands the York Levies near Dobbs Ferry and command measures with him for gaining certain intelligence of the real strength and situation of the enemy and if you find them such as Seem to give you a tolerable certainty of success you will plan your attack in such manner as shall be best in shown from your information.
Among the men under Scammell's command was Henry Dearborn who later became U.S. Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson.
The regiment was active in the subterfuge that ensured Sir Henry Clinton's forces in New York City stayed there in a defensive posture, allowing Washington's army to make their way southward to Yorktown.