Justin Hitchcock's Remarks and Observations

men and make a public profession. Their weir great
difficulties in the way in Deerfield The Town was almost
equally divided between Whigs and Tories some of the
principal men in the Town had withdrawn from the
Church and did not attend the Ministry of Mr. Ashley
thes were generally Whigs a majority of the Church and
and ^others adhered to Mr. Ashley thes wer generally Tories
In this divided state I hesitated and delayed I
however drew up a paper stating the difficulties
which lay in my way Then proceeded to make a
sacred dedication of myself to God and wrote and
subscribed a covenant which I kept until I joined
the Church and I believe I was as sincere and honest
in this transaction as ever I was in any About
this time I formed a resolution in my own mind
(tho I did not write and sign it) that I would not
use any dishonest means to obtain wealth or if I
could avoid it be guilty of any mean low tricks
to obtain any thing of this worlds goods
The close of this year and the begining of the next may
be considered as the lowest state of American affairs
our Army driven out of Canada and our -- fleet lost on
the Lake The main army retreating before a superior-
force the Jersies almost intirely subdued and our -- men
having served out the time for which they engaged
Gen^l Washington found himself in a critical situation
It was about this time that he suggested to some
confidental friend that rather than grace the triumph
of the enemy he would with a chosen few retire
beyond the Allegany Mountains