On this day 250 years ago in Boston, John Andrews wrote to his brother-in-law in Philadelphia reports of British soldiers harassing citizens of Boston:
An officer, with men from the 4th Regiment in Barracks at West Boston, erected a couple of tents just at the back of Howard’s meeting and conducted a parcell of fifes and drums there, which play’d and beat Yanky Doodle the whole forenoon service time, to the great interruption of the congregation. They intended to repeat the same in the afternoon, but were prevented by orders from the General. The officers in general behave more like a parcell of children, of late, than men. Captain [*] of the Royal Irish first expos’d himself by behaving in a very scandalous manner at the South meeting, while Doctor Warren was delivering the oration in commemoration of the Massacre. He got pretty decently frighted for it. A woman, among the rest, attack’d him and threatened to wring his nose. Last Wensday, the day the oration was publish’d, a vast number of Officers assembled in King street, when they proceeded to the choice of a moderator and seven out of their number to represent the select men, the latter of whom with the moderator went into the Coffee house balcony, where was provided a fellow apparrell’d in a black gown with a rusty grey wigg and fox tail hanging to it, together with bands on — who deliver’d an oration from the balcony to a crowd of few else beside gaping officers. It contain’d the most scurrilous abuse upon the characters of the principal patriots here, wholly made up of the most vile, profane, blackguard language as ever was express’d. . . .
The same evening eight or nine officers paraded the street and abus’d every person they met. but finally met with their matches and were all made to lay level with the ground — and yesterday four Sergeants and as many men were sent to insult John Hancock, under pretence of seeing if his stables would do for barracks.
I wish Andrews had written more details about the patriotic woman of Boston who attacked the Captain of the Royal Irish Regiment “and threatened to wring his nose.” But he did include an interesting report on the collection of arms by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and an attempt to smuggle ammunition out of Boston to the Patriots.
Our provincial congress is to meet next month at Concord, when, I am told, there is to he an army of observation incamp’d, consisting of twenty thousand men. Am also inform’d that the congress have expended near a million in our Old tenor for amunition and provisions. This I know, that they have had upwards of fifty ton of shot, shell, &ca., cast, besides an innumerable number of Musket halls. Have seen twenty load cover’d with dung to go out of town myself, but lately all carts have been search’d by the Guards, and unluckily last Saturday evening a load of cartridges were seiz’d pack’d in candle boxes, consisting of 13500 besides 1 boxes balls. The countryman struggled hard before he would deliver ’em, and received two or three bad wounds.
On that same day, British Lieutenant Frederick Mackenzie recorded in his diary a slightly different report of the same or perhaps a different attempt by a “countryman” to smuggle ammunition out of Boston:
A Country man was Stopped at the Lines, going out of town with 19,000 ball Cartridges, which were taken from him. When liberated, he had the insolence to go to Head quarters to demand the redelivery of them. When asked who they were for, he said they were for his own use; and on being refused them, he said he could not help it, but they were the last parcel of a large quantity which he had carried out at different times. Great numbers of Arms have been carried out of town during the Winter; and if more strict search had been made at the Lines, many of them, and much Ammunition might have been seized.
https://archive.org/details/lettersofjohnand00andr/page/88/mode/2up
And on this day 250 years ago in Newport, Rhode Island, Rev. Ezra Stiles recorded in his diary:
A vessel this day from Virginia informs that the Virginians had sent a Vessel to Old France which lately returned Laden with Powder, Arms, Field pieces & military stores— & tho’ pursued & fired at by the Man o’ War & her Cutters, got in safe to Land.
Source: https://archive.org/details/diaryezrastiles01stiluoft/page/n537/mode/2up
On This Day In The Revolution 