| Citation |
PJ.776.008
7 Feb 1776:23 (1731)
Extract of a letter from Cambridge, January 28, 1776. Last
Thursday Capt. Manly took two store ships loaded with
provisions. . . It would now be no news to acquaint you with
the burning the houses at Charlestown, or rather at the foot
of Bunker's-Hill, but the circumstances being odd and
humourous, shall give them to you: when about 200 of our
people (Colonel Mifflin in the number) were performing the
business, the regulars were acting a play, called the Busy
Body, that being finished, the scenes were hoisted to
perform a farce (wrote by the officers) called the Blockade
of Boston, General Washington, with a large wig and a long
rusty sword had just appeared on the stage together with his
orderly serjeant, who had a rusty gun of seven feet long on
his shoulder, at that instant one of the regular serjeants
came running (almost out of breath) on the stage, on which
he threw his bayonet, and hallowed out, Boston is on fire
and attacked in 50 places, those who were unacquainted with
the farce, thought this part of it, but General Howe cryed
out, officers to your alarm posts, which changed the act to
shreiking, crying, fainting, &c. and indeed the troops on
Bunker-Hill were not much less frightened than they were in
Boston, for notwithstanding the officers ordered the men to
preserve their fire, they kept up a continual blaze all
round the hill. Colonel Nesbit, who commanded, was tried
for not sallying out on our men, but have not yet heard his
fate.
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