Westchester County, New York, During the American Revolution
You'll see by adverting to the Returns, that some Companies "have more Officers than Privates, at best ; hut not content with that, *' and instead of sending home the Officers who have very few men, " almost none, and turning over those few men into other Companies, " they add Brevet Officers, not only to pick the pockets of the pub- "lick, here, but, also, those Brevet Officers are to be dismissed from " the Militia Rolls, at home ; and, in a few times more being called " forth, there will be no Militia left in the State.
" These things I thought it my duty to report to you, as the char- " acter of the State is at stake ; and how the Officers who have done " these things will get along, here, I don't know, as we now make " Weekly Ration Returns as well as Returns of the Army, by which *' they must be discovered. The consequence is bad to the Officers ; how- " ever, they must take their fate.
" I am sorry to have the character of the State suffer by such conduct " of its Officers.
" Governour Trumbull.'
" I am, honoured Sir, your dutiful Son, "Jos. Trumbull.
We have seen no evidence that either General WooBter or Commissary-general Trumbull took any steps for either the arrest of the offenders or a suppression of the offences.
and properly disciplined * -- adding fuel to the flame of discord, which, on more than one occasion, required all the good judgment and determination of which the Commander-in-chief was master, to prevent a serious outbreak. 5