Early in the morning on this day 250 years ago on Dorchester Neck (then adjacent to Boston and now in South Boston), a contingent of about 500 men of the British Army conducted a raid across the frozen bay to try and capture the 60 men of the Continental Army stationed on the Neck. The British captured four men who were on picket duty but one of the sentinels fired his musket to alert the other Continental soldiers so they were able to make their escape. The British also captured “an old man” and his son who lived on the Neck. A few days later the British released three of the captured Continental soldiers but the other captives deserted to the British.

Source: https://archive.org/details/dorchesterneckno00blak/page/4/mode/2up