The Virginia Gazette

FISH-KILL,

February 27

Extract of a letter from an officer at Morris Town, dated February 21,

to the printer.

I RECEIVED your favour from Fish Kill, and beg leave to return you

my thanks for forwarding to me the letters, &c. from Boston. It

would give me the greatest pleasure to furnish you with authentic intelli-

gence, but the truth is, we are so much shut up from news here as those

in Simbury mines. Indeed it would be almost unnecessary to send news

to you,

who seem to have such an excellent faculty at making it. All

that we have stirring here at present was brought out by the three Hessian

officers who (your paper says) deserted sometime ago from Brunswick.

They say that the 200 British troops killed by us in the Quibbletown affair,

came to life shortly after; having only, in imitation of Shakespeare's fat

Knight, counterfeited death, in order to avoid the fury of our brave

militia. They are however to be considered as prisoners, and to be ex-

changed for an equal number of our men killed by Hugh Gaine of the

city of New York, printer, in the same action.

Jesting apart. I have the pleasure to acquaint you, that a few days

ago a party of General Putnam's division, attacked and defeated a party

of Tory soldiers, in Monmouth, killed a number and took about forty

with their arms, and one Major Stockton, an infamous Tory, who com-

manded them.