Two days later, on September 21, the order ran:
Officer of the Day to-morrow Colo Ludenton the same No to go on Piquit to-night as Last night & on the same roads great care to be taken not to put any on this Piquit but such in whose Fidelity the greatest Confidence may be Placed. Colo Ludington & Major Gray will guard the same Roads as yesterday. Patroleing Partys are Constantly to be kept up.
Again, the next day, the order ran: “The guards and Piquits are to be kept up also Majr. Gray & Colo Ludington as has been kept before.”
The work of detecting and arresting traitors within the American lines occupied much of Colonel Ludington’s attention, and in it he seems to have been particularly energetic and effective. His wide knowledge of men and affairs in Westchester and Dutchess counties caused frequent appeal to be made to him for information concerning suspicious persons. Thus Lieutenant-Colonel Dimon in September, 1777, wrote to General Putnam as follows:
Harrison’s Purchase Sept’r 12th 1777.
Hon’d Sir,
Enclosed I have sent a Return of the Regt. Also have sent for your Honor’s Examination, three Prisoners (viz) John Crabb, an Inhabitant of Fredericsburg, taken up at White-plains, who said he was going to Horseneck to buy Salt, but on being searched, it appeared that 2/6 in paper & 4/6 or 5/ in hard Mony was all the Mony he had in Possession, & what renders his Conduct still more suspicious, was that, James Knox, another of the Prisoners, was in Company with him, when first discovered by our Men, but made his Escape from them, & was next Day taken up near New Rochelle, & who confesses he was going to the Enemy: s’d Crabb desiring a Man might be sent to Col. Luddington, to obtain his Character, to whom he said he was known; I acordingly desired Col. Luddington (to) send his Character, which he did, & which I have sent enclosed. But the third, as I imagine the greatest Villian of three, named Hachaliah Merrit was taken in East Chester early in the Morning after being out all Night with his Great Coat & Blanket, & armed with a loaded Pistoll, & who does not pretend to say any thing in his own Justification. I am with great Esteem, your Honour’s most humble Servant.
David Dimon, Lt. Col.
Major Genl. Putman.
Accompanying this was Colonel Ludington’s reply to the appeal for a “character” for the prisoner Crabb, which could have given that worthy little comfort: