The purposes of that party were such as New Englanders of that period were apt to regard as peculiarly " patriotic " -- they evidently went down to see what the merciless Hessian and British soldiery had left, when the Royal Army had retreated ; to select, for their own or their families' uses, and to carry away, into New England, whatever, of that remainder, should best suit their own tastes ; to dispossess the women and children who were mostly the occupants of the houses ; and to burn what they did not care to steal, sparing almost nothing of either public or private properties, just to "strike terrour into the Tories and influence in our "favour," as these New England thieves "patrioti- " cally " expressed it. That was the prevailing New England idea of the period, taught and illustrated by

" General Hoicc to Lord George Oermaine, *'New-Touk, 30 November " 1776 ; " [Hall's] Hisiorij of the Civil War in America, i., 211 ; etc.

8 "The question being asked Miyor Austin, whether he had any " orders for burning said houses, he confesseii that he had no orders "for it; but he alleged, as an excuse, his being in company with " some of the General Officers, just before the houses were burnt on the "Plains," [those containing the forage, etc., which had been burned when the Army ei'acnated the lines, on the evening of the thirty Jirst of October,] "and heard General Putnam say he thought it wonld be best to burn *'all the houses, etc.; and finding there was houses burnt on the "Plains, soon after, he thought it his duty to burn the said housi'S, "as he did." -- {Defence of Major Austin, before the Conrt-marti-d, "Phii,- " ii"SBURO, November 12, 1776.")