Show As isaac snow saw it revolution veterans story of the siege of boston A loft isaac snow as a sentinel at the siege of boston the personal history of isaac snow has always been regarded as aa remarkable as wall waa that of almost all all of those who lived in the tha stirring times of the revolution ol and he be appeared to take pleasure la in relating hla his perils and hardships not a few of the youth of this generation have gath sred red around him at different times while he be would tell them his story etory substantially as aa follows when I 1 was waa seventeen years old a recruiting sergeant calling for vol antkers for the american army under beneral washington at the siege of boston came along I 1 wished to go ind join my count rys army and although my mother and sister tried to tn me would not go I 1 enlisted for tareq thre months when measured to see it if I 1 was tall enough to answer the lawi law C stretched myself up all that was possible and then was just able to pass and now I 1 took the all wool greatcoat made by my mother and with the others that had enlisted marched from home to boston or in the month of february 1776 at the end of this journey I 1 found my shoes worn out and also that the other soldiers were many of them barefoot ind and poorly supplied with clothing we daen oen stood sentry in the cold and at one time in the night six men took cedar ralla rails and broke them up lip and made a alre to warm themselves the ire although comfortable to them proved a mark for the british to tire alre upon and soon a cannon bull ball killed one of their number and broke the gun of another while lit in hta his hand after this we did not venture to light i a fire but often some of us its sheltered ourselves in the cellars where houses had stood but had been burnt down by the british and often all the shel ter we had was in the lee of the walls in march 1776 it was determined by general washington to build breastworks upon dorchester doi chester heights I 1 was in a company from Hast eastham bam commanded by capt solomon ilig gins and assisted in the work it had bad been lit in contemplation some time although kept as secret as possible we were prepared with spades crowbars shovels picks etc and when the evening of the fourth of march came none thought of sleep tag ing the working party consisted of 1200 with a covering party of SUO we reached the place unobserved by the enemy and set to work with all possible dispatch and before morning we had thrown up i a breastwork sufficient clent to shelter us but still kept at work rel relieving leving each other only to eat it was expected that the english would leave doston boston with troops and proceed to drive us front from the new fort it if they could not knock it down with cannon balls we prepared to meet them by drawing up and placing all around the fort large trees with limbs attached laying them bush end out so that they must stop and v cut ut their way through them before reaching the fort before this men had been employed in dorchester woods riling filling barrels with clay and stone and heading them up strong these barrels were had in readiness the first day to roll down the hill and thus hus break and cut up the ranks or of the enemy should they attempt to ome upon us it was told afterward hat bat in the morning the english corn com ci ander after looking with hla his spy glass lass at our works dashed the glass glasa 0 the ground and exclaimed alt all the fishes of the sea have turned to men aien and are swarming tho the hills at be same time ordering the cannon to are upon our works which they did all day but with little damage to is as the balls mostly passed over us nd ind lodged in a meadow beyond bey onil and 1500 balls were picked up and niter after ward nard used by us As we were short abort of df balls a small bounty wai was given for c one brought in and one of nu ur nen ran to pick up one almo before it had lost its force found it too hot to hold and dropped it very quickly in a few days the english admiral finding his ships could not lay in tile tha harbor in safety and after ten days bombarding our fort without doing us ua any damage sent word to general washington that hat if he would promise not to tire fire upon tits lila ships the troops would evacuate boston and the ships leave the harbor but without that promise he h should burn the town to ashes washington gave his word that they should pass unmolested and on the saw them bet baill wo we most gadly marched into boston and found the people rejoiced to bo be released and no wonder for they hall had been shut in for IG months suffering hunger and other privations some had their stores rifled to feed and clothe tho the british soldiers but all was for tho the time forgotten in rejoicing at seeing their oppressors gone from them after serving my time out which was three months I 1 returned home in love of my count rys cause iso BO that I 1 soon boon enlisted again for nine months in a company from eastham under capt isaiah and again went to doston boston and was waa employed some soma time building fortifications in boston harbor I 1 then c enlisted in another company under captain hamilton of chatham and marched to rhode island where I 1 was ivas employed with others in building fortifications and drilling with the army stationed there till tho the time expired for which I 1 enlisted ax months the ship defence of IS 18 guns wanting a crew myself and somo some others from the cape and from boston engaged to make up the complement of men soon all was vas ready and tho the ship put to sea under command ot of captain samuel smedley to cruise for a prize hoping soon boon to meet with an english vessel on the third day alny out a quartermaster broke out with ith smallpox when it was decided by the officers that all the crew should be vaccinated vaccina ted this made sickness enough and we feared the result should we meet an enemy but in a few days a sail was seen which proved to be a large english letteron letter of marque and our captain determined to engage her although 30 of our crew were sick of smallpox and a number riot not able to sit up lip to take a seat beat on the hencoop and use small arms aims I 1 could olt isit up and walk some F fo EO o I 1 took a gun and sat upon the hencoop honcoop till the action commenced when I 1 forgot my sickness sprang to my feet anti and loaded and fired my piece as fast as possible and as aa the powder monkey brought up the cartridges to distribute them among us I 1 took a handful and threw them into the bosom of my shirt which hung bagging dorwn do wn enough to receive them and so bo continued to fire away not tb thinking inking I 1 was in danger of lighting the contents of my bosom with my own the battle went on I 1 now had bad only a pair of canvas trousers and a tow shirt and fired till my gun was very h hot of and then changed it for another the engagement lasted three glas glasses fies three halt half hours when she alie struck her colors to us when we boarded her we found she was from liverpool bound to jamaica and had on board a governor for that island and other passengers of some note with many valuable articles ai tides a quantity of plats plate belonging to passengers besides a cargo quite a valuable prize we took out part ol of her ere craw arld and put a prize master on board of tier her and sent liar to doston where wo we arrived safely ourselves with the prize when we vr settled up and there was wag a alvi I 1 I 1 vinn elon of the prize money and a discharge of the crew some of the officers received or more arizo money |