They  were  to  be  raised  from  the  military  regiments  of  Colonels
Ellis  of  Keene,  Chase  of  Cornish,  Morey  of  Orford,  Webster  of
Plymouth,  and  the  regiment  of  the  late  Colonel  Bellows  of  Wal-
pole,  and  were  to  serve  six  months.     (Rev.  Rolls,  p.  249,  Vol.  3.)

On  February  1,  1786,  Daniel  Putnam  of  Cornish  petitioned  the
Honorable  General  Court  of  New  Hampshire,  then  convened  at
Portsmouth,  as  follows :  The  petition  showeth  that  he  (Putnam)
was  engaged  as  a  soldier,  in  the  year  1776,  in  Capt.  Esterbrooks
company  in  Col.  Bedell's  regiment;  that  he  marched  with  the
troops  to  Quebec,  when  he  was  taken  sick,  and  had  the  misfortune


REVOLUTIONARY   WAR.  77

to  lose  all  his  clothes  to  the  amount  of  14  pounds  &  two  shillings,
and  being  left  by  the  troops  with  no  care,  incurred  the  expense  of
16  pounds  for  doctoring,  which  sum  your  petitioner  was  obliged
to  pay.  Wherefore  he  prays  your  Honors  to  take  his  case  and
grant  him  the  said  sum,  with  interest,  if  you  in  your  wisdom  shall
think  proper.     (Rev.  Rolls,  pp.  431-32,  Vol.  3.)

Daniel  Putnam.
During  the  Revolutionary  War  the  people  suffered  much  in-
convenience from  the  depreciation  of  the  currency.  It  continued
to  depreciate,  and  the  price  of  the  necessaries  of  life  continued
to  advance  until  the  people  became  greatly  alarmed.  Legisla-
tion was  sought  to  check  the  evil,  but,  whatever  it  may  have
done,  proved  of  no  avail.  In  1780  it  seemed  to  reach  its
climax.  During  this  year  Cornish  voted  to  raise  800  pounds  for
schooling  in  town,  also  2,000  pounds  for  mending  highways,  and
the  price  of  labor  on  highways  in  some  towns  was  fifteen  dollars
per  day;  and  wages  and  articles  of  commerce  were  correspondingly
high.
