[J. Thomas Scharf (1886)] Hugh Gaine's Gazette of the 9th of February, 1778, says: "Major-General Tryon, who was sent to de-stroy the rebel settlement called the Continental Village, has just returned, and reports that he has burned the barracks for 1500 men, several store-houses and loaded wagons." He did his work thor-oughly. No vestige of the little hamlet now remains. ' The disastrous campaign of 177(1 brings what is now the town of Cortland! into prominence, because at Verplanck'a Point was the eastern terminus of King's Ferry, and at the northern extremity was the pass to the Highlands. Washington appreciated the im-portance of both of these points — the former as the most southern, and, therefore, the shortest route from States east of the Hudson and those west. At no point farther south could the river be safely crossed. Farly in November Washington ordered the Mary-land and Virginia troops under Lord Stirling to New Jersey, rin Peekskill and King's Ferry. Heath fol-lowed with Connecticut and Massachusetts regiments to secure the passes to the Highlands. By sunset of November 11), 177'i, when Washington arrived here on his way to New Jersey, Stirling's troops were over the Hudson and Heath's at Peekskill. November 11th and a portion of the 1 2th were spent by Wash-ington in inspecting the posts of the Highlands, and '"Annul* of Newtown," by James Itikor,,Ir. '-' ( 'ImrlcK A. Campbell, in " Magazine of American History" bf May, isvj.