History of Westchester County, New York, Vol. I
three thousand, eight hundred, and thirty were absent, "on command;" and ninety-six were on furlough; leaving only about sixteen thousand men, including the Artillery and excluding the Olliccrs, who were actually present and fit for duty." Of these, thirteen Regiments were Militia, temporarily serving in the service of the Coiitiiiont ; ' and, since the disastrous results on Long Island and in the City of New York, the entire Army was greatly dispirited and inspired no confidence iu its Commander-in-chief." On the thirtieth of September, the number of rank and file.
Gniend Rcttint of Ihr Anutj in ihf service of the Vnitcd Stairs nf AnH ricii 'it Kinifs liridijc and its di'iit'ndenci/'s, Sept. 21, 1776. - Ibid.
8" The check our detiU'hnicnt siiKtiiitU'd on llir 27lli ultimo bus dis- "pirited too great a proporliuti of our troops, and filleil their ;ninds with, "apprehension and de.^pair. The Militia, instead of calling forth tlieir " utmost efforts to a brave and maidy opijosition, iu order to repair our •'lossies, are dismayed, intractable, and impatient to return, fireat uum- " bers of them have gone off ; iu some instances, almost by whole Regi- "ments, by half ones, and by Companies, at a time. This circumstance, "of itself, independent of others, when fronted by a well-appointed "enemy, superior in number to our whole collected force, would bo " sufficiently disagreeable ; but, when their examjile has infected another "part of the Army, when their want of discipline and refusal of almost "every kind of restraint or government have produced a like conduct "but too common to the whole and an entire disregard of that order "and subordination necessary to the well-being of an .\rmy, and which "had been inculcated before, as well as the nature of our military es- " tablishnieut would admit of, our condition becomes still more alarm- " ing; and, with the deejiest concern, I am obliged to confess my want "of confidence iu the generality of the troops." (Oineral M'iiahingt<m lo the President of Ihe Congress, "New-York, September 2, 1770.")