{"chunks_used":3,"query":"The Lieutenant Was Being Shaved","report":"**The Lieutenant Was Being Shaved: A Revolutionary War Skirmish in Westchester**  \n\nIn December 1781, during the American Revolutionary War, a pivotal skirmish unfolded near Merritts Corners in Westchester County, involving patriot forces led by Captain Richard Sackett and Lieutenant William Mosier. The event, later dubbed \u201cThe Lieutenant Was Being Shaved,\u201d highlights the tension between patriot militias and Loyalist \u201cRefugees\u201d in the region. According to John McDonald\u2019s 1848 interview (Macdonald 1848), Mosier, a stone mason and McDonald\u2019s brother-in-law, was shaving when word arrived that Refugee forces were approaching. The Refugees, recognizing Mosier\u2019s vulnerable state, taunted him: \u201cNow you are half shaved, Mosier, you had better give up.\u201d Mosier refused, leading to a confrontation that ended in his capture and the deaths of several comrades.  \n\nThe McDonald Papers (1926\u201327) provide additional context, detailing the composition of Sackett\u2019s militia, which included former British soldiers, enslaved and free Black men, and Indigenous allies. On December 2, 1781, while Sackett was shaving at Josiah Fowler\u2019s tavern, Refugees ambushed the camp, capturing Sackett and his brother. Mosier and his men retreated to a field, where they formed a defensive square against pursuing Loyalist horsemen. Despite high fences initially hindering the Refugees, they eventually breached the barriers, leading to a chaotic engagement. McDonald\u2019s account (1926\u201327) notes that Mosier\u2019s group, numbering around 30, included figures like Sergeant James Croft and David Slater, former British sergeants who had switched sides.  \n\nThe sources agree on the central incident but differ in emphasis. McDonald\u2019s 1848 interview focuses on Mosier\u2019s personal bravery and the taunts exchanged during the attack, while the 1926\u201327 analysis contextualizes the skirmish within broader military strategies and the diverse makeup of patriot forces. Notably, the latter also references a 1850 death notice for John Peterson, a Black Revolutionary War veteran, clarifying that Mosier himself died decades earlier in Dutchess County (Macdonald 1926\u201327). These discrepancies underscore the challenges of reconstructing local Revolutionary War history from fragmented accounts.  \n\n**Sources consulted**  \n- Macdonald, John. Interview with Lyon, James, 1761\u20131850; (1848\u201311\u201304). *John M. McDonald Interviews, 1844\u20131851*, WCHS item 1285.  \n- Macdonald, John MacLean. *Mosier\u2019s Fight with Refugees*. In *The McDonald Papers, Part II, Chapter 6*, Publications of the WCHS, Vol. V. 1926\u201327.","sources_consulted":["Macdonald, John. Interview with Lyon, James, 1761-1850; (1848-11-04). John M. McDonald Interviews, 1844-1851, WCHS item 1285. Westchester County Historical Society. Transcribed by history.croton.news April 2026.","Macdonald, John MacLean. Mosier's Fight with Refugees. In The McDonald Papers, Part II, Chapter 6, Publications of the WCHS, Vol. V. 1926-27."]}