92 NATURAL A*ND CIVIL 



by the conduct of the troops tmafer sir William 

 Howe, or rather by the Hessians, Waldeckers, 

 and other German auxiliaries. Cruelty, pilfer- 

 ing, rape, destruction and plunder, rnarked their 

 steps and their abbde. 'Wherever they came, 

 neither property, chastity, nor personal apparel, 

 seemed to be safe for a moment. Such were 

 their brutal m.anners, their ferocious tempers, 

 and their habits of plunder and pillage, that they 

 became every where hated and avoided. And 

 it yet remains a problem, which would hav6 

 been the greater evil to the Atnericans, to have 

 fallen into the hands of the Senecas and Mo- 

 hawks; or into those of the Hessians and Wal- 

 deckers. So compleatly odious were these 

 troops, that the whole country wisely detern^n- 

 ed to perish in the contest, or to clear their 

 country of the foreign barbarians. 



Carle TON 'only, seemed to understand the 

 American character and habit, and how it might 

 be manaered to the advantage of the British 

 cause. The inhabitants in the vicinity of lakes 

 George and Cliamplain, were much in fear that 

 the former scenes of an Indian warfare, burningj 

 scalping, and plundering, would again be renew-, 

 ed on the lakes. Carleton took much pains to 

 prevent this method of carrying on the war. 

 lie encouraged the Indians to assist his troops, 

 to kill all they could in battle, and to take as 

 many prisoners as possible ; but he laid tlieni 

 tinder strict orders not to kill or scalp their 

 prisoners on any occasion. When he found 

 that he could not restrain them frOm*these in- 

 human cruelties, he kept up- the dignity and 

 maiUiness of the soldier, and dismissed his Ihdiaii 



