We have endeavored to trace those evil influences, back, to their origin, and forward, as far as we have been able to go, to their final sad results; and, in more than one instance, we have seen those who controlled and wielded those influences, climb over the shattered remains of what, before, had been intelligent and industrious and contented families, and peaceful and plentifully-supplied homes, and productive farms, from the scenes of plunder and devastation and general ruin, of misery and hopelessness and woe, in which they had been the principal actors, to those high places of honor and emolument and power to which they had aspired and for the attainment of which they had not hesitated to bring all that wretchedness and ruin on others, to which we have alluded.

v

vi PREFATORY NOTE.

We have endeavored to present a complete history of the political as well as of the military affairs of Westchester-county, from the organization of the first political body, the Committee of Fifty-one, in the City of New York, by whom, in May, 1774, the first attempt was made to draw the farmers of Westchester-county into the vortex of revolutionary politics, until, early in December, 1776, the remarkable spectacle was presented to the world of two antagonistic Armies turning th'eir backs on each other and retreating, in opposite directions, without the slightest attempt at pursuit, by either -- circumstances over which we could not exercise any control having prevented a continuation of the narrative to the close of the War of the Revolution, as we originally designed to have done, we could do no more than that -- and, whatever may have been the measure of our success, in the work which we have undertaken to do, as far as we have done it, we have been actuated, in all which we have written, by nothing elrfe than by an earnest desire to ascertain the exact truth of every subject to which we have directed the reader's attention ; to present the truth, thus ascertained j faithfully and fearlessly; and, as far as our strength and resources and ability should permit, to present to the descendants of those farmers of Westchester-county of whom we were particularly writing, something which, in the absence of anything better fitted for that purpose, should serve as a memorial of the sufferings to which their ancestors were subjected, by their own countrymen more than by those of foreign countries and quite as much while an armed foe was unknown throughout the Colony as while the tramp of opposing Armies was heard throughout the County.