To be completely truthful, one must accept the fact that the majority of the punishments and losses these men felt were actually indicative of the mode of warfare in that era. It was not especially unusual, even though it is terrible nonetheless.
And the Abraham Clark story is 100% true. His tombstone reads
Firm and decided as a patriot,
zealous and faithful as a friend to the public,
he loved his country,
and adhered to her cause
in the darkest hours of her struggles
against oppression.
for more info on Mr. Clark see here...
http://www.colonialhall.com/clark/clark.php