THE TOWN OF BEDFORD. 73 



owned by Col. Holmes, who had gone below to join the British some- 

 time before. I think that the meeting house also was burnt the same 

 day, namely, Friday, July 2nd, when they burnt Bedford nine days 

 afterwards, a widow woman begged them to spare her house, to which 

 they consented — but finding a brace of pistols up stairs, they fired it. 

 The French army lay in Bedford one night, but the cavalry went on with- 

 out halting. We were all much pleased to see them, as they came for 

 our protection. Col. Holmes was a clever man, very spirited in speak- 

 ing, he could not forget his treatment for advancing money to pay his 

 men, which was not refunded, or not paid without great difficulty." 



Nov. 2nd, 1846, James Fountain testified, " I am in my seventy-ninth 

 year and remember the battle of White Plains. One Stephen Baxter, from 

 North Salem, who had received a commission of Captain, was here with the 

 refugees at the burning of Bedford. I think they were all refugees that 

 burnt Bedford, about a hundred or a hundred and fifty in number. I saw 

 them pass, as they advanced by the North Castle church road. Benjamin 

 Hayes kept a tavern at this time in Bedford and his house (owned by 

 Col. Holmes) was for some reason burnt." Col. Armand the Marquis 

 de la Rouerie was for some time stationed at North Castle and Bed- 

 ford. 



On the 15th of July, 1779, General Heath having ascertained that 

 the enemy's shipping had gone down towards New York, moved his 

 troops and took a strong position between Ridgfield and Bedford, send- 

 ing out patrols of horse and foot on all the roads. a 



On the evening of the 29th of December, 1780, (writes General 

 Heath,) a party of the enemy from Delancey's corps, consisting of about 

 one hundred infantry and fifty horse, came up to North Castle where 

 after a short halt they proceed towards Bedford new purchase. Capt. 

 Pritchard who was posted at Bedford with a company of Continental 

 troops, and some militia, immediately advanced towards them, attacked 

 their van, who retreated, as did their main body. Capt. Pritchard pur- 

 sued them as far as Young's. It was said that one of the enemy was 

 killed and several wounded w r ho were carried off in a wagon. Four 

 oxen, and between thirty and forty sheep were re-taken, and eight or 

 ten head of cattle were driven off; but the captain sustained no injury." 



Upon this affair, James Lyon, of Bedford, aged eighty-seven, Nov. 

 17th, 1846, says: "I belonged to Capt. Moseman's company of militia 

 and went out with him on several occasions in pursuit of refugees and 

 cow-boys, who had stolen our cattle and sheep. Once, when Capt 



a Heath's Memoirs, page 2T0. 

 & Heath's Memoirs, p. 268. 



