This Day in History: May 23

It is after midnight on May 23, 1777. The British Redcoats are dug in on the high ground of Sag Harbor. A single shot is heard, coming from the direction of armed vessels in the harbor. The uneasy village residents wake up and listen for a second shot.

At James Howell's Inn on Main Street, commandeered by British officers, Lieutenant Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs and his rebel raiders from Connecticut have just pulled the British commander from his bed and taken him prisoner.