The Captain David Perry Web Site
KING GEORGE'S WAR
1. Childhood
1741-57
FRENCH & INDIAN WAR
PRE-REVOLUTIONARY YEARS
1st WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE
(Revolutionary War)
7. The Siege of Boston 1775-76
WAR'S END, CONFEDERATION & CONSTITUTION
PARTISANISM
and
2nd WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE
(War of 1812)
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LIFE OF DAVID PERRY.
PART TWO. THE CONNECTICUT YEARS. (cont.)
(Chapters Six through Nine Inclusive.)
Chapter VII
Siege of Boston 1775-1776.
Fifth Campaign (First Campaign of the Revolution).
Rank: 2nd Lieutenant.
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Map of Boston and Environs, 1776
his brings me up to our Revolutionary War. In the Spring of 1775,
as there could be no accommodation of the difficulties• between
Great Britain and the Americans, the British troops marched out
of Boston to Lexington
and Concord,• and killed a number of our men,
which aroused every part of the country to arms! An army was immediately
raised, and I was appointed a Lieutenant• in Capt. Fleet's [Joseph Elliot's]
company, and General Putnam's• regiment.•
As soon as our company was full, (and it did take long to fill it) the ensign and myself marched
with it to Roxbury, and quartered our men in the Loring• house. In a few
days the Captain and the other Lieutenant joined us. The Captain,
however, was soon taken sick, and died before he had done one tour
of duty. We remained there until after the 17th of June, on which day
the Bunker-Hill• fight took place; but my company was not in it. This
was a severe battle,• especially to the British, who had 1053 killed and
wounded, according to their returns, including a great proportion of
officers. We had 78 killed,• and 86 wounded, and among the slain was
the noble Gen. Warren,• whose death was a great loss to our army and
country. Our regiment, immediately after this battle, was collected
together on Prospect-Hill, where we built a fort. The British were in
possession of Bunker-Hill, about three quarters of a mile distant, and
in plain sight of our works.
This Spring Gen. Ethan Allen• went and took Crown Point• from the British,• together with a number of cannon, which were of great service to us, as we had but a small quantity of artillery.
When the fort was completed on Prospect-Hill, our cannon were placed within point-blank shot of the enemy; and as I was walking one day with an old experienced officer, I asked him why he did not fire upon the enemy? He said, if, by our formidable appearance, we could keep them where they were, we should do well, for we had not amunition enough to last one day and a half. There was but little fighting this season, except some small skirmishes between the sentinels of the out-posts, which were soon put a stop to.
In the heat of Summer, the men were attacked with the Dysentery,•
and considerable numbers of them died. The people flocked in from
the country, to see the camps and their friends, and took the disorder;
and it spread all over the New-England states: it carried off a great many
more in the country than in the camp, which seemed to dishearten the
people very much. But in the latter part of winter General Washington
marched a considerable force on to Dorchester Point,• in the night,
erected temporary batteries, and conveyed his cannon• to them --
and in the morning, when the British came to find their fleet exposed
to his fire, they sent word to him, that if he fired on their shipping,
they would burn the town: but if he would let them pass out of the
harbor unmolested, they would quit the place;• and they did so. --
Gen. Washington expected their next object would be New-York,
and marched all his [troops immediately for that city. He] went by
land, and arrived there before the enemy did by water: but, for want
of men and ammunition, he was obliged to evacuate the city to them.
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