Some mouths after, when I saw him, he told me that once or twice lie was on the point of stopping his horse and surrendering, feeling that escape was impossible. Then the thought of life, of home, and of country, again urged him forward. They pressed him so hard that his

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HISTORICAL SKETCHES.

horse began to show great signs of weariness. And when at length R rode into camp, worn out himself, his poor tired beast, though the night was intensely cold, was covered with foam."

Capt. Dutcher's name does not appear on the muster rolls after June,- 1778, when he was succeeded in command by his First Lieut. Daniel Marling or Martling, though he may have been in the Secret Service after that period, as has been intimated. The above incident probably occurred after the family had returned from their sojourn in Salem, and likely was in the winter of 1777-8. The family removal was made in great haste after the battle of White Plains, the enemy being close at hand. The slaves were left in charge of the premises, and on one occasion they were taken out for a distance in the river and then thrown overboard by the Piritish and Tory marauders at such depth as they might be able to just keep their heads above water, and so get ashore !

Capt. Win. Dutcher is mentioned as connected with Col. Thomas Thomas' Regt., date of October 4, 1776, as recorded in Force's Archives, and in a return of that Regiment of the date of Oct, 6, 1776, Capt. Dutcher and Lieuts. Daniel Martling and George Monson appear as the officers of the First Company on the list, in the original records at Albany.