Hi All, I thought this may be of interest to other researchers. My Rev Ancestor, Joshua Blanchard, Jr. from Hollis served three months in the Cambridge campaign and returned without documentation of injury only to die within the month. I believe the following to be his probable cause of death. I have the following letter from NH State Archives: To the Honorable Court: The Counsel and Representatives of the Colony of New Hampshire at Exeter in General Assemble convened. Hall Jackson Surgeon to the Troops raised by said Colony for the defence of America think himself in duty bound to lay before the Honorable Court the following Particulars; humbly hoping that some method may be taken to preserve the health of our Soldiers in future or that some more comfortable suport in care of sickness may be provided than has hetherto been done. That the Troops stationed at Piscatiqua in proportion to their number have been equaly if not more sickly then those at Cambridge; owing to the following causes: It is well known that animal substances of all kinds if exposed for the shortest time in a degree of heat equal to the Blood will tend so far to putrifaction as to be unfit for food, and to be perfectly unwholsom, while vegatables (especially those of the root kind) will remain unalterable for many months if not years. For some reason our Soldiers have not been supplied with a due proportion of vegetables, but have in lieu there of, been served with a double allowance of Beef: The clothing of many of the Soldiers are thin, being destitute of Beding they lodge hard, and cold, perspiration (the greater & out-let of the Body is obstructed. the Habit soon becoms loaded with the juices of the animal Food, and a fever of the inflammatory kind is the consequence, some small evacuations, with a proper diluting diet, with the {several words cut off} to promote perspiration would soon remove the complaints, but the unhappy Soldier is destitute of all these, the stagnated juices soon become putrid, and a fever of a more fatal kind takes place, viz, what is commonly called the Camp Jail, or malignat Fever, which are all of one kind, according to the degree of putridity they become more or less contagious and is communicated from one to another untill a general Sickness takes place, which often spreads into the country and sweeps off great numbers of the Inhabitants. - Certainly this is a matter of the highest concern to the community - For more that have been Sick, I have borrowed, begged, and even hired Beding at an extravagant price; for as many as I could, wilst others have been obliged to linger out a month or six weeks sickness, on a little straw, upon a hard Board, with only a small worn-out Blanket to cover them - and to this the dificulty of procuring Hospital - Stores, the Commisary being destitute, a man every morning be furnished with a few pence, with this he is to go from Shop to Shop, for half a pound of Sugar, half a pint of oatmeal ??, and at noon if lucky, he may procure the pateints a Breakfast, I have drawn an order early in the morning on the commisary for supplies for ten Sick Persons and their attendants, who have been destitute of every article but water, I have late in the evening found them in the same destitute condition - The commisary was gone to Exeter - and nobody at home - such treatment may be proper to Rufeans??, who thirsting for human Blood, who for three pence a day, will go four thousand miles to murder and enslave a generous free bound People; But for Americans, our friends and Brothers, who are venturing their lives for the defence of our Liberties and all that is dear to us, such treatment is ungenerous, and dishonorable. And no Gentleman of the Faculty, who has his own honour, or the good of the Sick at heart, would undertake for them, under such circumstances. At Cambridge, even Sick Persons, has a Tow - cloth Sack filled with straw which is shifted once or twice a week as occasion requires, a pair of Tow - Cloth sheets, a Blanket and rug as the weather renders it nessary a Commisary for the Hospital is apointed who furnishes what is proper for the Sick by whole - sale, at one half the price of what we have been obliged to give by retail here. It is humbly hoped that the Hoborable Court will take the matter into consideration and act thereon as in the wisdom they shall think proper. Hall Jackson Portsmouth March 6th 1776 ________ Sherry