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
7 General Howe to Lord George Qermaine, "New- York, 30 November " 1776 ; " [Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 211 ; etc.
8 "The question being asked Major Austin, whether he had any " orders for burning said houses, he confessed 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 evacuated the lines, on the evening of the thiity-first of October,} " and heard General Putnam say he thought it would 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 houses, "as he did." -- (Defence of Major Austin, before the Court-martial, "Phil- " ipsburo, November 12, 1776.")