. Historic fields and mansions of Middlesex. tlyafter he assumed the command on Prospect Hill. As what we desire to give the reader is as accurate a view aspossible of the Continental camps during the period we areconsidering, we cannot do better than to exhibit their resources,and especially how they were provided with artillery to defendsuch extensive lines. In so fj\r as such testimony is attainable,the evidence of the actors themselves or of eyewitnesses ispreferred. Dr. Thacher, who was a surgeons mate in Asa Whitcombsregiment in barracks on Prospect Hill, in 1775, says : — Before our pri
. Historic fields and mansions of Middlesex. tlyafter he assumed the command on Prospect Hill. As what we desire to give the reader is as accurate a view aspossible of the Continental camps during the period we areconsidering, we cannot do better than to exhibit their resources,and especially how they were provided with artillery to defendsuch extensive lines. In so fj\r as such testimony is attainable,the evidence of the actors themselves or of eyewitnesses ispreferred. Dr. Thacher, who was a surgeons mate in Asa Whitcombsregiment in barracks on Prospect Hill, in 1775, says : — Before our privateers had fortunately captured some prizes withcannon and other ordnance, our army before Boston had, I believe, LEES HEADQUARTERS AND VICINITY. 153 only four* small brass cannon and a few old honey-comb iron pieceswith their trunnions broken off ; and these were ingeniously beddedin timbers in the same manner as stocking a musket. Thesemachines were exceedingly unwieldy and inconvenient, requiringmuch skill to elevate and depress CARRIAGE FOR CANNON WITHOUT TRUNNIONS, USED BEFORE BOSTON. As early as January, 1775, four brass pieces, two seven-inchmortars, and an unknown number of battering cannon, werein possession of the provincial committees. Besides these, oth-ers are obscurely hinted at without mentioning the and Concord were selected as the places of depositfor all the artillery and munitions of war. Even as far back asNovember, 1774, the committees had begun to purchase heavycannon, which could be found in all the seaports from Bostonto Falmouth. Many of these were ships guns. Others hadbeen purchased to defend the ports during the frequent warswith France ; and not a few had come from the fortifications ofLouisburg and Annapolis Royal. It appears that the Eevolu-tionary executive had voted to equip a park of sixteen field-pieces, in which those brought out of Boston were to be in-cluded. This will serve to show that, long before Lexington,the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidhistoricfiel, bookyear1874
