Dunk's Ferry, that you gave him the most discouraging accounts
of what might be expected from our operations below. What, then, were those
discouraging accounts? Why was I not acquainted with them? or were they
thrown out to influence him from making his attempt on Trenton, by
representing that no co-operation from our quarter could favour his
enterprise? In the general's opinion, it is plain, it had that tendency.
But in the heedless fury of this stroke at me, you have incautiously
unguarded your most tender part.

"Anxious to fill up the part of this glorious plan assigned to us," you
"passed over, you say, with your horse, to see and judge for yourself." You
did so. "Having seen the last man re-embarked, you proceeded before day to
Burlington." Here permit me to correct you, because there is no
circumstance better ascertained, than that many of the men were not brought
back till eight o'clock the next morning.

Your motives for going to Burlington that night, were then thought a
mystery; 'tis now no longer so; and the "_other circumstances_," that
permitted you to join us again at Bristol, are now clearly accounted for.
General Washington's success or defeat was, no doubt, to determine whether
you were to remain a citizen of the United States of America, or to be a
shameful deserter of your country.

You say, you went to Philadelphia, at my request, to confer with Gen.
Putnam; that you set out in the evening, (the 24th December,) and reached
Philadelphia about midnight; but what credit, can you reasonably expect,
will be given to your "detail of proceedings," in other particulars, when
you find yourself detected in such gross contradictions in the following
instance?

In the 17th page you say, "Upon conference with General Putnam, (at
Philadelphia,) he represented the state of the militia, the general
confusion which prevailed, his apprehensions of an insurrection in the city
in his absence, and many other circumstances, in such strong terms, as
convinced me, no assistance could be derived from him;" and yet, in your
letter to me, dated Philadelphia, 25th December, 1776, 11 o'clock, you say;
"General Putnam has determined to cross the river, with as many men as he
can collect, which, he says, will be about five hundred; he is now
mustering them, and endeavouring to get Proctor's company of artillery to
go with them. I wait to know what success he meets with, and the progress
he makes; but, at all events, I shall b