132 



;vinl ) remomhor a large chest bcinji; smuggled iulo the town ))y a colored 

 Juaii, that was taken from him and brought to our house and put in my 

 mother's chamber closet I'or safe keeping over night, and taken away the 

 next day by the school boys, and burnt in the public square to their 

 uo smaU amusement. As a specimen of the feeling that prevailed 

 among the female lovers of liberty, my mother was in feeble health, and 

 «ould take but little nourishment excepting tea, and my father fearing 

 she would suffer much in her health if deprived of it, proposed to pro- 

 cure her the liberty of using it ; but she said no ! she Avould rather 

 suffer apjj inconvenience than that it should be said, she was enjoying a 

 privilege her husband was appointed to take from her friends and 

 neighbors. 



Early in the autumn of this year there was a committee of safety 

 appointed, by the legislature of Massachusetts, to make private prepar- 

 ation for the gathering storm that they foresaw was soon to burst upon 

 their heads ", and he Avas from this time actively engaged in collecting 

 military stoi-es for the use of the country ; and in November, 1774, re- 

 ceived the appointment (rom this committee as Engineer, with a fixed 

 salary, which I have often heard him say, was the first military ap- 

 pointment in the revolutionary war. 



After this he purchased a number of Iron cannon of a Col. Derby, of 

 Salem, as I find the painting of seventeen carriages for those guns ac- 

 counted for in his memorandum book, from which I take many of these 

 notices and facts. Among other accoutrements wanted for these guns 

 were flannel cartridges, which must be sewed very smooth and of course 

 done by females. J\ly fiither fearing to let more into the secret than 

 was absolutely necessary, engaged my mother though in very feeble 

 health to cut out five thou&and of these cartridges, and set my sisters 

 and myself to make them, and we were often locked up in a chamber 

 for fear some of our prying mates or neighbors should find out the 

 nature of our employment : and undoubtedly the first instruments for 

 the defence of our National liberty were made by my sister and myself. 



In preparing carriages for these guns my father had employed a Capt. 

 Foster to do the iron work, who had a shop on the north side of Dan- 

 vers river, which skirts the North side of the town of Salem, over which 

 was a draw bridge. In the progress of the work he had also employed 

 an " old countryman'^ in whom he had great confidence, but who it 

 proved soon after was not worthy of it. About the last of February, 

 they had got a number of the carriages done, and the guns mounted, 

 when this man came to him on a Saturday afternoon and requested his 

 pay for his work, stating he had some pressing necessity for the money ; 

 accordingly he paid him his due. The man then went directly to Bos- 

 ton and gave information of what was going on under my father's direc- 

 tions, to Gov. Gage, who immediately ordered Col. Leslie to embark 

 with his regiment from the Castle, and land at Marblehead, and from 

 thence march to Salem and take possession of these guns, in his Majes- 

 ty's name. Accordingly they landed at Marblehead about 12 o'clock 

 the next day, being Sunday ; but for reasons not known he did not get 

 information till about 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when two of the 

 selectmen came to him with the intelligence that these troops, 300 in 

 number, were marching into the town ; and it was supposed it was to 

 take possession of his guns ; — which he no sooner heard than he Avas 



