1 General Howe was silent concerning the numerical strength of the force which he had thus employed ; and none of the British authorities were any more communicative. Stedman, however, (History of the American War, i., 215,) clearly intimated that the force which was required to take and occupy Chatterton's-hill, when diverted for that purpose, bo greatly weakened the Boyal Army, then on the White Plains, that "it was obvious that the latter could no longer expediently " attempt anything against the enemy's " {the Americans'] " main "body."

We may be allowed to say, in this connection, that the practise of that period, in making mention of the strength of detachments or of that of the Army itself, was to include only the Bank and File, excluding the Commissioned Officers, the Staff, and the non-commissioned Officers, all of them, to some extent, at least, effective fighting men.

2 Compare the letter from Colonel Robert H . Harrison, the Secretary of General Washington, to the President of the CoDgress, dated " White- " Plains, 29 October, 1776," with General Washington's letter to the same, dated ** White-Plains, 6 November, 1776," in the latter of which he said, "I am happy to inform you, that, in the engagement on Mon- " day se'nnight, I have reason to believe our loss was, by no means, so " considerable as was conjectured, at first."

See, also, Colonel Robert H. Harrison's letter to Governor TrwnbuU, "White-Plains, November 6, 1776;" the same to Governor Cooke, " White-Plains, November 6, 1776; " etc.