entered the Continental service, and after its reinforcement had joined it, it numbered not more than a hundred and fifty men ; 6 and about two weeks subsequently, little more than a month after it had been mustered in, it was made ridiculous and the propensity to office-holding among " the friends of Liberty," in Westchester-county, was forcibly illustrated by the following paragraph, which appeared in the General Orders of the commanding Officer of the Continental Army in New York :

" Head-Quarters, March 16, 1776.

" As Colonel Drake's Regiment of Minute-men "consists of one hundred and eleven private men, " present, and yet have no less than four Field "Officers, two Captains, and thirteen other Commis- "sioned Officers, and twenty Non-commissioned " Officers, it is unreasonable to put the Continent to "the enormous expense of maintaining so many " Officers for the use of so few men ; and it is there- " fore ordered that one Field-officer, two Captains, •' four Lieutenants, two Ensigns, the Adjutant, and ■' Quartermaster, eight Sergeants, eight Corporals, or " Drums or Fifes, and no other Officer do remain with " that small part of the Regiment ; the other Officers " are to return to their County, in order to complete " their Corps. Colonel Swartwout ' and Lieuteuant- " colonel Humphreys • are to observe the same rule in "proportion to their numbers; and they are all of " them to send into Headquarters, Returns of their " respective Corps, present." 9