the 1. The floating Battery[142] went up towards Brookline fort[143]
then our men perceiving her move they began to fire at her out of
colonel Reeds fort untill they drove her back to her old place the
same day they fired from Roxbury hill fort and it was said that they
fired through their Baracks.
[Footnote 142: When the British built their
breastwork on the neck, the Sunday previous, they
had a floating battery brought into Charles river,
and moored it within three hundred yards of
Sewall's point.]
[Footnote 143: The Brookline fort was on Sewall's
point, between Roxbury and Cambridge. It commanded
the entrance to Charles river.]
the 2. Nothing remarkable this day.
the 3. Dito.
the 4. Nothing remarkable to day only I went to the main guard and the
enemy fired at us as we came up.
the 5. Dito.
the 6. Being Sunday nothing remarkable at night I went on the piquet
guard.
the 7. Nothing strange.
the 8. Dito.
the 9. Nothing remarkable this day only I went upon fatigue.
the 10. Nothing strange We had a great rain.
the 11. Their was three men whipt for deserting they were whipt ten
stripes apiece they belonged to the conecticut forces.
the 12. Nothing remarkable to day I went upon fatigue to
Dorchester.[144]
[Footnote 144: The village and church of Dorchester
was four miles from Boston. The heights of
Dorchester are in what is now called South Boston.]
the 13. Being Sunday we went to Hear Mr. Willard[145] and after Meting
our Men went to Entrench down at the George tavern and About Brake of
day they got Hom.
[Footnote 145: Joseph Willard, D.D., who was made
president of Harvard college in December, 1781. He
died in New Bedford, in 1804, at the age of
sixty-four years.]
14. Their was Nothing Remarcable I went upon fatigue down to the
George tavern.
15. Two Oclock this Afternoon when the Lobsters[146] fired on our
guards which was returned by our Roxbury fort the fireing was
continued for some time but how much to their Damag we dont know one
of our men was slitely wounded their fireing was from a floating
Batery and it is thought would have killed one or too men if they had
not have Lain down for the Ball passed within about 4 foot of our
Barack the night passed without any alarm.
[Footnote 146: A nickname given to the British
regulars, on account of their red suits. They were
so called in England, as early as the time of Queen
Anne.]
the 16. This day they fired at our main guard but no material Damage
was done the remaining part of their mallice seemed to be postponed to
a future season our american guard kept their ground and the night
passed without any alarm &c. &c.
the 17. About nine Oclock the enemy fired upon our main guard and
fatigue men they through 4 Balls and 2 Bombs and one of the Balls
struck 2 guns which belonged to the main guard and the men had them on
their Shoulders but did not hurt them much.
the 18. Behold their Spite this morning before the sun rise the enemy
fired at our working party on the neck this side the george tavern our
rifle men fired at them and it is thought killed too of them but
notwithstanding all their fireing of balls and bombs though some of
them came so near that it could hardly be called an escape yet their
was not one man wounded on our side one bomb was thrown in the evening
but did no Damage one of the enemy came to our centrys and is now in
our guard house.
the 19. I went upon fatigue the morning began with fireing from the
wicked enemy at our guard but did no hurt in the afternoon they rifle
men fired at the enemy and they enemy at them and they wounded one of
the rifle men in the foot Slitely but what Damage we did them is
uncertain let this Suffice for a short acount of the tranactions of
the 19 day.
the 20. I went upon the main guard at night our boats went up with in
gun Shot of the comon[147] and alarmed them by fireing Several guns
and then returned without any Loss on our side.
[Footnote 147: The large park, known as Boston
Common, extended down to the water's edge, before
the flats were filled in.]
the 21. Nothing remarkable hapened this day at night one of the enemy
deserted and came to us.
the 22. We paraded nothing remarkable I went down to the piquet.
the 23, 24. Nothing remarkable.
the 25. A flag of truce came out of town but for what I dont know.
the 26. This morning their was a man ran away from the floating
battery.
the 27. Being Sunday but they make such a fireing over at Bunkers hill
that it seems to be more Like the Kings birth day than Sunday but what
Sucksess they have had we are not able to determine but we heard that
they killed too men and wounded 3 or 4 four more[148]
[Footnote 148: About nine o'clock on Sunday
morning, the 27th, the British opened a heavy
cannonade from Bunker's hill (where they had built
a strong redoubt), and from a ship and floating
battery in Mystic river. The firing was directed
upon the American works on Winter, Prospect, and
Ploughed hills. They continued to bombard these
works daily until the 10th of September.]
the 28. But they still hold up their firing at Bunkers hill nothing
more remarkable this day.
the 29. I went upon the piquet down to the george tavern and the enemy
fired several small arms at us but did us no Damage.
the 30. Very rainy nothing extraordinary this day.
the 31. Nothing extraordinary this day only it was rainy at night
Lieutenant Foster and four men went down to the piquet.[149]
[Footnote 149: There was a famous tree in Boston,
under which the patriots had often held meetings
since the time of the stamp-act excitement. On that
account it was called "Liberty-Tree." It was a
noble elm, and stood at the corner of the present
Washington and Essex streets. On the 31st of
August, 1775, the British cut it down, with no
apparent motive but the indulgence of petty spite.
An eye-witness of the event says: "After a long
spell of laughing and grinning, sweating, swearing,
and foaming, with malice diabolical, they cut down
a tree, because it bore the name of liberty." A
tory soldier was killed by its fall. A poet of the
day wrote:--
"A tory soldier, on its topmost limb--
The Genius of the Shade looked stern at him,
And marked him out that same hour to dine
Where unsnuffed lamps burn low at Pluto's shrine.
Then tripped his feet from off their cautious stand:
Pale turned the wretch--he spread each helpless hand,
But spread in vain--with headlong force he fell,
Nor stopped descending till he stopped in hell!"]