1 General Howe was silent concerning the iiunuM'ical strengtli of the force which he had thus employed ; and none of the British authorities were any more coniinuuicative. Stediiian, however, {Hislonj of the American War, i., 215,) clearly intimated that tiic force which was required to take and occupy Chatterton's-hill, when diverted for that purpose, so greatly weakened the Royal .\rniy, then on the White Plains, that " it was obvious that the latter could no longer ex|)ediently "attempt anything against the enemy's" [ftie Amerintnx' \ main " body."

W'e may be allowed to s;iy, ill this connection, that the practise of that period, in making mention of the strength of detachnieiits or of that of the Army itself, was to include only the Rank and Kile, excluding the Commissioned Officers, the Staff, and the 11011-comnilssioiied Officers, all of them, to some extent, at least, effective fighting men.

'-' Compare the letter from Colonel Robert H. Harrison, the Secretary of General Washington, to the President of the Congress, dated " White- " Pl.vi.vs, 29 October, 1770," with General Washington's letter to the same, dated " White-Plains, 0 November, 1770," in the latter of which he Sitid, "I am happy to inform yon, that, in the engagement on Mon- '• day se'nniglit, 1 have reason to believe our loss was, by no means, so " considerable as wiis conjectured, at fii'st."

See, also. Colonel Robert H. Hurrison^s letter to Governor TnimbtiU, "White-Plains, November 0, 1770;" llie same to Governor Cmike, " WiiiTE-Pl..4iNS, November G, 1770; " etc.