Military History. 319 



It is not possible to give accurate lists of the men engaged in this 

 and the similar service of caring for and protecting the Continen- 

 tal stores at Boston and Watertown, so imperfect are the rolls. 

 The town records contain items of payments to men recruited for 

 these purposes. One, in 1778, would seem to indicate that there 

 were seven of our townsmen with Capt. Benjamin Beal, but " a 

 pay abstract of Capt. Benj. Beal company of militia and Col. Jacob 

 Garish (regt) Drafted in July 1778, to Guard the Troops of Con- 

 vention and the Stores In and About Boston " contains the 

 following names of undoubted citizens. The regiment was Colonel 

 Gerrish's. 



Benj. Beal, Capt., Moses Gardner, 



Peter Dunbar, Lieut., Joshua Stowell, 



Joshua Beal, Sergt., Jedediah Joy, 



Caleb Marsh, Corp., Seth Wilder, 



David Ilearsey, Drum, Daniel Dunbar, 



Joseph Hobbard, Hosea Dunbar, 



Stephen Mansfield, Melzer Dunbar. 



Also " Capt Benj. Lapham Compy in Col. John Reeds Regt., 

 in service of the United States, at Cambridge, taken from 2 April, 

 1778, to July 3, 1778," has upon its roll : — 



Jos. Tower, Sergt. James Lewes, 



Daniel Stodard, Corp., Rich d Tower. 



The town disbursements for the year contain items for the pay- 

 ment of three men employed in guarding Continental stores, nearly 

 three months, twenty men " for guarding Gen 1 Burgoynes army, 

 at Cambridge, 4 months & 26 days," " to 11 men for Guarding 

 the Continental Stores in Boston 2 months 11 days." 



At the town meeting held in February, there was a tax laid of 

 .£2370 of which £ 195-7-2 was for the procuring of Continental 

 soldiers, for three years ; £ 1274-12-10 for paying the men em- 

 ployed in the expedition against General Burgoyne ; £300 for 

 guarding General Burgoyne's army at Cambridge, and £300 for 

 defraying the usual expenses of the town. Subsequently we find 

 Joshua Leavitt paid for a gun lent the town, and Jacob Leavitt for 

 painting the carriage and wheels of the cannon ; also David Beal for 

 assisting in transporting powder from Watertown to Hingham. 

 There are, besides these, payments to Capts. Benj. Lapham, Elias 

 Whiton, and Peter Cushing, for serving as committees to hire 

 soldiers. 



There is a roll of Captain Stowers' company showing service from 

 August to November of this year; the location of its employment 

 is not indicated, but its roll contains, in addition to the names 

 given as members of the same command, in August, 1776, the 

 following : — 



■•& 



Sam'l Stodder, Daniel Beal, 



Reuben Stodder, Thos. Lincoln, 



