could say: "What our loss on Long Island was I am not
able to estimate. I think from the best accounts we must
have killed many of the enemy." Colonel Douglas wrote,
August 31st: "The enemy surrounded a large detachment of our
army, took many, killed some and the rest got off.... By the
best account we killed more of them than they did of us. But
they took the most prisoners." Lieutenant-Colonel Chambers,
who was in the way of gathering many particulars from the
Pennsylvanians who escaped, says: "Our men behaved as
bravely as men ever did; but it is surprising that, with the
superiority of numbers, they were not cut to pieces.... Our
loss is chiefly in prisoners." Lieutenant-Colonel Brodhead,
who had to retreat among the last over the very ground which
others have marked out as the scene of the massacre, as the
site where "lay nearly one thousand men, slain in the shock
of battle, or by subsequent murder" (_Field_)--Brodhead
says: "I retreated to the lines, having lost out of the
whole battalion, about one hundred men, officers included,
which, as they were much scattered, must be chiefly
prisoners.... No troops could behave better than the
Southern, for though they seldom engaged less than five to
one, they frequently repulsed the Enemy with great
Slaughter, and I am confident that the number of killed and
wounded on their side, is greater than on ours,
notwithstanding we had to fight them front and rear under
every disadvantage." Colonel Silliman, of Connecticut, who
appears to have made particular inquiries in the matter,
wrote, September 10th: "I think upon the best information I
can get that we are about 1000 men the worse for that
action. The Enemy say they have about 800 of them prisoners.
We have about 50 of them in the hospital wounded. Of the
other 150 'tis said that in the engagement a considerable
number of the riflemen deserted and went over to the enemy
and some no doubt escaped towards the other end of the
Island. On the whole I do not think we had 50 men killed in
the action." (_MS. letter._) These are statements made by
officers who were present at the battle, and who wrote
within a few days of the event. They all, with many others,
reach the same conclusion that the enemy suffered in killed
and wounded as muc