three o'clock in the morning
Neither side was able to help the wounded there . But before the rout was complete , Croghan had water let down in buckets to relieve their thirst , and ordered a trench cut under the pickets of the stockade . Through this the poor wretches who were able to crawl came in and surrendered themselves and had their wounds dressed . By three o'clock in the morning not a British uniform glimmered red through the dawn . The noise of retreat ended . Pistols and muskets strewed the ground . Even a sailboat was abandoned on the river , holding military stores and the clothing of officers .