Part 11 (1/2)
the 23. Nothing remarkable hapned at night I went upon the piquet and nothing hapned worth a mentioning.
the 24. Nothing remarkable hapned this day onely we heard that the french were a going to join us upon conditions that we would trade with them.[174]
[Footnote 174: As early as July, 1775, Dr. Franklin had suggested the propriety of a political confederation of all the colonies, and the establishment of governmental relations with foreign powers, especially with France, which, it was well known, hated England. In November of that year, Benjamin Harrison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Johnson, John d.i.c.kenson, and John Jay, were appointed a committee to open and carry on correspondence with foreign governments; and in March following, Silas Deane was appointed a special agent of Congress to the court of France.
Rumors of such intentions appear to have reached the army, according to our Journalist, as early as the 24th of October, 1775.]
the 25. We turned out and went to the Larm post and it was very cold and we came home and there was a high go of Drinking Brandy and several of the company were taken not well prety soon after[175]
nothing more this day.
[Footnote 175: A very natural consequence.]
the 26. This morning early their was several Laidies came down from wrentham and they went to cambridg and the rest of their acts are they not writen in the Lamentations of Samuel Haws, finis.
the 27. This day I went upon fatigue and we got our Stents done about noon.
the 28. Nothing remarkable this day onely I was chose cook for our room consisting of 12 men and a hard game too.
the 29. Being Sunday the officers had hard work to get hands for meting it was so cold nothing more this day.
the 30. This day nothing remarkable hapned.
the 31. Nothing remarkable.[176]
[Footnote 176: During the whole of October, affairs were very quiet, and no skirmish of importance occurred. The ”Ess.e.x Gazette” of the 19th said, ”Scarcely a gun has been fired for a fortnight.” On the 4th, a small fleet, under Captain Mowatt, sailed from Boston harbor, and destroyed Falmouth (now Portland), Maine. On the 15th, a committee from Congress arrived, to consult with Was.h.i.+ngton concerning the future, and a reorganization of the army.]
NOVEMBER 1775.
the 1. Las night the fire ran over Samuel Hawes's hair and that provoket him to wrath Nothing very remarkable hapned this day that I know of.
the 2. their was Some gentlemen and Laidies came down from Wrentham and they went to cambridg.
the 3. It was a very rainy day and we went to childses and had an old fudg fairyouwell my friends.
the 4. Nothing remarkable hapned this day onely the gentry went home to Wrentham.
the 5. Being the memorial 5th of novem. the enemy fired from every s.h.i.+p in the harbour nothing more remarkable this day.
the 6. Nothing remarkable hapned this day.
the 7. Their was a vendue opened att this house and their was not Less than a hundred and twenty Dollars worth of things vendued and sold at private sale and Swapt.
the 8. Nothing remarkable hapned this day that I know of.
the 9. Nothing remarkable hapned this day that is worth amentioning.[177]
[Footnote 177: On this day there was quite a severe skirmish occurred at Lechmere's point, now Cambridgeport.]
the 10. This day I went home upon furlow,[178] yesterday Sergent Yett went home.
[Footnote 178: That is, a written permission from his commanding officer, to leave for a specified time.]