--GRAY.
The possessions of Mr. Wharton extended to some distance on each side of
the house in which he dwelt, and most of his land was unoccupied. A few
scattered dwellings were to be seen in different parts of his domains,
but they were fast falling to decay, and were untenanted. The proximity
of the country to the contending armies had nearly banished the pursuits
of agriculture from the land. It was useless for the husbandman to
devote his time and the labor of his hands, to obtain overflowing
garners, that the first foraging party would empty. None tilled the
earth with any other view than to provide the scanty means of
subsistence, except those who were placed so near to one of the adverse
parties as to be safe from the inroads of the light troops of the other.
To these the war offered a golden harvest, more especially to such as
enjoyed the benefits of an access to the royal army. Mr. Wharton did not
require the use of his lands for the purposes of subsistence; and he
willingly adopted the guarded practice of the day, limiting his
attention to such articles as were soon to be consumed within his own
walls, or could be easily secreted from the prying eyes of the
foragers. In consequence, the ground on which the action was fought had
not a single inhabited building, besides the one belonging to the father
of Harvey Birch.
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