A snowy Sunday afternoon in Roslyn was lit up by the sound of gunfire and cannon fodder as re-enactors portraying both British and Colonial soldiers held an historical encampment and battle on the grounds of the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor.

The re-enactment is part of the museum's exhibit, "The Revolutionary War: The Founding of the New Nation" which will be on view at the museum from now until March 26. The exhibit presents works of art alongside such historical relics as a full-sized field cannon and other weapons actually used in the American Revolution.

Following the encampment, troops from both sides squared off on a field of honor south of the museum's main building. British troops got the better of the first part of the skirmish, charging and breaking through Colonial lines. Happily, for the assembled crowd, Colonial reinforcements were on the way. They arrived to save the day, forcing the Brits into negotiating terms of surrender. Furthermore, the Colonials were in possession of the only cannon on the field which helped their cause considerably.

Once the battle ended, a Colonial officer implored the crowd to give three cheers for General George Washington. Which they did. Over 800 people attended the re-enactment. Museum officials said that the current exhibit has been one of the most well-attended in museum history.

The day also featured a lecture and booksigning by Rita Cleary, author of Spies and Tories. The novel centers around a young Long Islander, Robert Townsend, who serves as a spy for Colonial forces while posing as a "loyal Tory merchant and journalist." The novel includes a vivid description of the Battle of Long Island, an August, 1776 conflict in which British forces defeated the Colonials in and around the Brooklyn Heights and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn.

In addition to historical relics, the exhibit contains several famous portraits of George Washington, including those by Gilbert Stuart, James Peale, and Rembrandt Peale. Other well-known works of art are N.C. Wyeth's Paul Revere's Ride, Archibald Willard's The Spirit of '76 and Emannual Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware. Artists from our time include Mort Kunstler, whose exhibit on the Civil War graced the museum during the first several months of 1998. Other modern-day artists on exhibit are Don Troiani and Tom Lovell.

Among future events concerning the exhibit, there will be a lecture on Sunday, March 12 at 3 p.m. by Andrew Batten on "Loyalist Long Island." Mr. Batten is director of Raynham Hall in Oyster Bay and is an authority on this rarely told chapter of Long Island heritage. He will explain the reason why the majority of Long Islanders chose to remain loyal to the British crown and what it was like to be left on the wrong side of history. The lecture is free to members. For others, it is included with a fee to the museum.