294 History of Hingham. 



It was a large company, and more than ninety men performed 

 duty on this occasion. 



Not only was Hingham a military post during the siege of Bos- 

 ton with a regular garrison at Broad Cove, but it was also one of 

 the sea-coast towns called upon, as in the instance just noted, for 

 her own defence, and very frequently too for assistance in pro- 

 tecting her neighbors from threatened British descents. This 

 service became so onerous that the Council appointed General 

 Lincoln its agent to appeal to Washington for relief on behalf of 

 a number of the towns, as appears by the following from Revolu- 

 tionary Council Papers, vol. i. : — 



"In Council, March 20th, 1776. 



" On motion ordered, That Benj. Lincoln Esq r wait on his Ex y Gen. 

 Washington to request of him that as the militia of the several towns of 

 Hingham, Weymouth, Braintree, have for a number of days past been 

 stationed on the sea coast of those towns in order to watch the motions of 

 the fleet & army now in the harbor of Boston and to prevent their rava- 

 ging and plundering the country, he would send a sufficient detachment 

 from the army under his command to their relief." 



The General seems to have had better use for his troops, how- 

 ever, both then and later; and as we shall see, until nearly the 

 close of the war, Hingham continued to defend the sea-coast with 

 large numbers of her men, and especially by manning the impor- 

 tant works at Hull. 



Sunday, March 17th, General Howe evacuated Boston, and Gen- 

 eral Putnam and General Ward entered the town. The next day 

 General Heath with five regiments was ordered to New York, 

 and with them went our townsmen under the two Captain Cush- 

 ings. General Washington entered Boston at the head of the 

 army on the *20th, and on April 4th, he left Cambridge for New 

 York, General Ward with five regiments remaining for the pro- 

 tection of Boston. 



But although the British army had departed, the sea-coast 

 towns continued under the menace of the fleet commanded by 

 Commodore Banks which lingered in the harbor, and which was 

 reinforced by seven transports loaded with Highlanders. The 

 people feared the return of Howe, and fortifications were thrown 

 up at East Boston, Point Allerton, and elsewhere. Finally a plan 

 proposed by General Lincoln, to drive the enemy from the harbor, 

 received the sanction of the Council of Massachusetts, and on 

 June 13th and 14th it was put in execution. General Ward sent 

 a part of the Continental troops under his command to assist the 

 militia who Avere ordered out for the attempt. To the old Com- 

 monwealth belongs the sole credit for the success of the last act 

 in the military operations around Boston. 



Like a brilliant panoramic view the scene passes again before 

 our eyes, and the sound of martial music and the thunder of artil- 

 lery comes once more to our ears. It is almost a year to a day 



