Subject: Diary of a British Officer in Boston in 1775 Part 3 Source: The Atlantic Monthly Magazine, Vol XXXIX. April 1877. No. CCXXXIV. The officers commanding regiments will reconnoitre the Street leading from their quarters to their respective Alarm posts, and fire off those they intend passing thru each taking a different route. These are orders which one would imagine should have been given immediatley upon the troops coming into Winter quarters. It's prob- able we should not have had them now but for the frost, which seems to threaten joining the Continent to the Town by the ice, which is already very considerable. In consequence of the above Orders regimental ones were issued for patrols to visit the Alarm posts fre- quently in the night. 1775 January 1st. Nothing remarkable but the drunkeness among the soldiers which is now got to a very great pitch; owing to the cheapness of the liquor, a man may get drunk for a copper or two. Still a hard frost. January 3d. The regiment marched about five miles into the country; the snow in some parts was very deep but was froze so that it would all bear; nothing now but slays are used; it seems to be an expeditious way of traveling; but I think must be very cold, as it cannot be any excercise. January 8th. General Orders. If any officers of the different regi- ments are capable of taking sketches of a country, they will send their names to the Dep. Adj. General....that is an extraordinary method of wording the Order; it might at least have been in a more genteel way; at pres- ent it looks as if he doubted whether there were any such. On the 9th instant Gov. Wentworth issued a Proclamation couched in the most spirited terms, accusing those people who had forcibly entered the Castle of William & Mary at Portsmouth and taken from thence barrels of powder, cannon and small arms - of treason and rebellion and exhorting all his Majesty's loyal subjects in that Province to exert themselves in the detection of those high offenders and to use every means of bringing them to a punishment equal to their crimes. Yesterday evening was a Ball by subscription; seven of each Corps was the number fixed and the Ladies were in- vited by the managers; this scheme was proposed by Mrs. Gage and carried into execution by her favorites; by which she enjoyed a dance and an opportunity of seeing her friends at no expense. January 12th. The frost broke up and today it rains and thaws. Gaming having got to a very great length among many of the Officers, the General lately expressed his disapprobation of a club they have instituted for that purpose; but finding that of no effect, he has set on foot a Subscription for a Card assembly, which will be very reasonable, as there are rules that no person is to play above a certain sum; a number of people have sub- scribed; they call it the Anti-Gambling Club. I fancy the General is trying to shame the other club, but I dont believe he will succeed, as its very rare seeing a person alter who is once entered into that way, unless it is by being incapable of continuing it, which I dare say will be the case of many of them before the Winter is over. January 13th. Hard frost last night; today I walked out to Jamaica Pond, five miles from town - it is a large piece of water, about 3 miles round; it is entirely froze over, and as fine ice as ever was seen. January 14th. Cards sent from the Loyal Society of the Blue and Orange to Generals Gage and Haldiman, Briadiers Earl Percy, Pigott, and Jones, and to the Admiral, inviting them to dine with the Society on the Queen's birthday. Ordered this day that for the future the Troops are to receive 4 days salt provision and 3 days fresh, all except the Marines and Regimental hospitals. We have been fortu- nate in having only fresh for so long a time; the Troops in America used always to have salt before this time. January 18th. Being the anniversary of the Queen's birthday, it was celebrated by firing a Royal Salute from the Artillery in town at 12 o'clock, at which time the Piequets of the Army were marched to King street and fired three volleys and the ships of war also fired at 1 o'clock. The Loyal and Friendly Society of the Blue and Orange met and dined at British Coffee House (the British Coffee House was on King, now State Street) some days previous to which they had a meeting to admit new members and to appoint stewards; many of the Loyal and Publick toasts were accompanied by the discharge of a volley from 23 Grenadiers of the King's Own, agreeable to the custom of the Society. There were sixty-eight members present. I was prevented being among them by being on guard. January 23d. This day, at 3 o'clock p.m., a Detachment of 1B., 3S, 4S 4C, 2D., 100 P. embarked on board two vessels to go to a place called Marshfield about 30 miles from hence, it is in consequence of about 200 people there having declared themselves for Government, for which the people of Plymouth have threatened to attack them and force them to their measures, as they sent to the Commander-in-Chief to request he would send them some Troops for their protection, and arms and ammunition for themselves, both which he has done. Capt. Balfour of the 4th has this command. We shall now perhaps see whether the scoundrels will dare put their threats in execution, but I dare say not; they will still be the same as they have hitherto been. Mr. Thomas who lives there has ordered his house to be fitted up for barracks; it will hold them all, I make no doubt, but they will have a very pleasant time of it, as there are two or three Gentlemen who will be as even to them as they can; indeed it will be for their own sakes, a motive that will carry a man further than anthing I know. January 24th. This day the Court of Enquiry sat and took the evidence of some Officers concerned in the riot last Friday; it is supposed it will be a tedious affair and will not be finished some time; the same day the Watchmen were ex- amined before the Selectmen. January 25th. Several of the riotous Officers bound over to appear at the April Assizes, when I suppose the affair will drop, as they cant have any Jury but according to the new Acts which they are hitherto so much adverse to. January 27th. This evening is to be given a Ball by the Superior and Members of the Loyal and Friendly Society of the Blue & Orange; to which the Generals, the Admiral, Mrs. Gage & Mrs. Graves are invited, with all the ladies of the Army and a great number of gentlemen and ladies of the town. January 31st. Yesterday a ship arrived at Marblehead which brought the King's Speech; the Whigs look very black upon it, but pretend to say it is the very thing they wished. February 1st, 1775. Lieut. Thomas Hawkshaw of the 5th put under arrest for having been concerned in a Riot yesterday evening, in which an inhabitant was much wounded by him; it is supposed he will be brought to a Court Martial. February 8th. This day the Decr. Packet arrived; the General got his letters last Monday by express; we dont yet hear that there is anything determined; I had two letters but no news in either...a few days ago the Congress at Cambridge had the assurance to vote Admiral Greaves a traitor to his country and voted also to petition the King that He would relieve him from this Station and dismiss him the service; all this was in consequence of his having pressed several men for something or other the Committee had done to him. The Admiral wants to burn their town and it is with difficulty the General can prevent him; they certainly deserve it for their insolence. Lieut. Hawkshaw who was lately in arrest is released and nothing more heard of the matter. February 16th. Three days ago we had a fall of snow but not a great deal, since which as well as before we have had the finest weather ever was known in this country for the time of year; it has indeed been too mild and open, as it has made the town very sickly. March 6th. This day an Oration was delivered by Dr. Warren, a notorious Whig at the great South Meeting opposite the Governor's house; it was in commemoration of what they term the Massacre on the 5th of March, 1770. It was known for some days that this was to be delivered; accordingly a great number of Officers assembled at it, when after he had finished, a most seditious, inflammatory harangue, John Hancock stood up and made a short speech in the same strain, at the end of which some of the Officers cried out "fie! fie!" which being mistaken for the cry of fire an alarm immediately ensued which filled the people with such consternation that they were getting out fast as they could by the doors and windows. It was imagined that there would have been a riot, which if there had, would in all probability have proved fatal to Hancock, Adams, Warren and the rest of those villains, as they were all up in the pulpit to- gether, and the meeting was crowded with Officers and Seamen in such a manner that they could not have escaped; however it luckily did not turn out so; it would indeed have been a pity for them to have made their exit in that way, as I hope we shall have the pleasure before long of seeing them to it by the hands of the Hangman. The General, hearing there was to be a procession at night upon the same occasion sent for the Selectmen, and told them that they had better not have any such thing, as most likely it would produce a dist- urbance, from which if any bad consequences ensued he would make them answerable; this put a stop to it and they did not put it into execution; the General, in case they should, had ordered all the Regiments to be in readiness to turn out at a moment's warning and strengthen some of the Guards. To be continued Part 4 Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth