shewed their men the example of running.” Other senior officers asserted that Washington, Putnam, and General Mifflin “caned and whipped” the men, or that the commanding general flung his hat to the ground in exasperation. Greene, who was not on the scene, reported that the enemy had closed within eighty yards before Washington—“so vexed at the infamous conduct of the troops that he sought death rather than life”—could be persuaded to quit the field.
