the 1. Nothing remarkable this day.
the 2. Dito.[127]
[Footnote 127: The British again hurled some shells
into Roxbury on Sunday, the 2d of July, but the
extent of the damage was setting fire to one house,
which was consumed.]
the 3. Dito.[128]
[Footnote 128: George Washington was chosen
commander-in-chief of the continental armies on the
15th of June, 1775. He set out for the headquarters
of the army at Cambridge on the 21st, reached there
on the 2d of July, and took formal command of the
army on the morning of the 3d.]
the 4. Their was a flag of truce come out of town to our centry on the
neck.
the 5. Nothing worth a mentioning to day.
the 6. Nothing remarkable this day.
the 7. Early in the morning we were alarmed and all of us repaired to
our alarm Post and we had not been their Long before we Saw Browns
house and Barn on fire and they were both consumed[129] these were Set
on fire by some of our brave ameracans and they took one gun and too
Bagonets and one halbert.
[Footnote 129: A party of volunteers, under Majors
Tupper and Crane, attacked the British advanced
guards, drove them in, and set fire to Brown's
house. They took several muskets, and retreated
without loss.]
the 8, 9. Nothing remarkable.
the 10. About Eleven o clock their was a party of Soldier sent to
germantown[130] to get some whale Boats they marched down their that
night the next night being clear they set out for Long island and
arived there in a Short time then they Plundred the island and took
from thence 19 head of horned cattle and a number of Sheep and three
Swine[131] also eighteen priseners and amongst them were three women.
[Footnote 130: It is impossible to identify this
place. A letter, dated on the 12th, says, "We have
just got, over land from Cape Cod, a large fleet of
whaleboats," &c., &c. The place alluded to in the
text was probably near Boston.]
[Footnote 131: This party went from Roxbury camp.
The report says that they brought from Long island
"fifteen prisoners, two hundred sheep, nineteen
cattle, thirteen horses, and three hogs." The
prisoners were taken to Concord.]
the 11. Nothing remarkable this day.
the 12. Major Tupper and his company returned to Roxbury with their
prisoners and the same day their was a Party draughted out to go to
Long island to burn the Buildings their when they were atacked by the
Kings troops and had a smart engagement[132] but we Lost but one man
and he belonged to Captain Persons company of Stoughton.[133]
[Footnote 132. The party under Colonel Greaton,
mentioned in a preceding note.]
[Footnote 133: Twenty miles south from Boston.]
the 13. Nothing remarkable this day.
the 14. Nothing remarkable untill night and then their was a man
killed at the main guard with a canon Ball.
the 15-17. Nothing remarkable.
the 18. Nothing remarkable this day.[134]
[Footnote 134: A strong party of Americans took
possession of an advanced post in Roxbury, upon
which the British kept up an incessant fire.]
the 19. We had an alarm and we went to our alarm Post and stayed their
about one hour and could not discover any thing and so we returned to
our Baracks again.
the 20. Their was a man killed who belonged to captain Bachelors
company in Col Reeds Regiment he was killed by a guns going
accidentely of, he was shot about Seven o clock and died about nine o
clock the same night his name was Wood Belonged to upton[135] he was
about 24 or 25 years of age.[136]
[Footnote 135: Upton is thirty-five miles southwest
from Boston.]
[Footnote 136: The 20th was observed throughout the
camps as a day of fasting and prayer. Before
daylight that morning, a party from Heath's
regiment landed on Nantasket point, set fire to the
lighthouse, and brought away a thousand bushels of
barley and a quantity of hay.]
the 21-24. Nothing remarkable.
the 25. Our Regement with four more were under arms and marched
towards cambridg to meet general Ward.
the 26. General Heaths regement moved from Dorchester to cambridg and
Jeneral Wards regement moved from cambridg to Dorchester and took
general Heath's Baracks.
the 27. Nothing remarkable this day.
the 28. Dito.
the 29. Nothing bad.
the 30. Being Sunday we had an alarm and went to our Fort[137] the
same day there was a party of men draughted out to go to the Light
house and major tupper was comander of the party.[138]
[Footnote 137: This was a very strong quadrangular
work, on the highest eminence in Roxbury. It had
four bastions, and in every respect was a regular
work. It is now well preserved, the embankments
being from six to fifteen feet in height from
without.]
[Footnote 138: On that day the British, five
hundred strong, marched over the neck, and built a
slight breastwork to cover their guard. The
American camp was in alarm all the day, and that
night the troops lay on their arms. The tories in
Boston were also alarmed, for they dreaded an
invasion of the city by their exasperated
countrymen.]
the 31. This day major tupper and his men returned to Roxbury with
between thirty and forty prisoners some regulars and some torys and
some mariens[139] and had something of a battle and we lost one man
and another wounded and our men Burnt the Light house and took some
plunder[140] thar was an alarm the firing began first at the floating
Battery and then at the Brest Work and then the troops marched out and
set the george tavern[141] on fire our men took one prisoner and the
same night one of the enemy deserted and came to our centrys at
Dorchester point and brought away with him too guns and too cartridg
Boxes and 60 rounds of cartridgs all in good order and their was
several more deserted to cambridg the same night.
[Footnote 139: Marines.]
[Footnote 140: The British commenced rebuilding the
lighthouse on Nantasket point. Major Tupper, with
three hundred men, attacked the working-party,
killed ten or twelve men, and took the rest
prisoners. He then demolished the works, but,
before he could leave, some armed boats came to
oppose him. In the skirmishing that ensued,
fifty-three of the British were killed or captured.
Tupper lost one man killed, and two wounded.]
[Footnote 141: A party of British troops sallied
out toward Roxbury, drove in the American pickets,
and burned the tavern which was situated upon the
portion of the neck nearest Roxbury.]