The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-07-06
THE YOUNG CONTINENTAL.
A Revolutionary Sketch.
BY c, c. COFFIN.


1t was the winter of 1775-6. Gen
Howe, with a British army, was in Bos
ton, and there was a large fleet of Brit.
ish war ships in the harbor; but around
Boston, in Roxbury and Cambridge
was an army of American farmers, un-
der Gen. Washington, besieging the
city. The siege began the day after
the affair of Lexington and Concord,
and had been kept up all through the
year.
In the American army was soldier,
Abner Wilke, who was only 16 years
old. His father had enlisted in the
army, but had gone home to look after
affairs, and Abner was in the ranks as
his substitute. His regiment was sta
toned in Roxbury. 1t was pretty hard
work digging in the frozen ground
through the day, throwing up entrench-
ments or mounting guard at night, with
his gun on his shoulder, pacing up and
down in the darkness, with the mercury
down to zero, and the wind blowing a
gale, and the snow sitting in his tace,
keeping a sharp lookout upon the enc
my; but he had enough to eat. This
was his bill of fare during the week:
Corned beef and pork, half pound
day, four days in the week; salt fish,
one day; fresh beef, two days; six
ounces of butter a week; half pint of
rice or Indian meal, once a week; three
pints of peas or beans; pound of flour
a day; potatoes; onions; cabbages;
turnips; molasses; one quart OF spruce
beer day. -
The soldiers had to cook their own
food, and the great trouble was how to
do it, for there was lack of camp-ket-
ties But they baked their potatoes and
onions; boiled their meat, turnips and
cabbages; made their Indian meal into
hasty pudding, and ate it with molasses.
Abner was quartered in a house close
by the road leading down upon the
" Neck" narrow strip of land be-
tween Roxbury and Boston. AS he
paced up and down the lines, doing
picket duty, he could see the muZzles
of the British cannon peeping through
the embrazures Of the fortiications on
the " Neck. - It was but a little dis
tance to the British picket line, and he
sometimes had friendly talks with the
relocated sentinel keeping watch on
the other side, He Learned that the
British troops had to live almost wholly
on salt meat and fish. FE N .
Once during the fall a war ship sail
ed around Cape Cod to Connecticut,
and landeda body of troops, who seized
a flock of sheep and a, herd of cattle,
and brought them TO Boston, and the
soldiers had little fresh beef and NUT
ton, and that was all: only the wags in
London lampooned Gen. Gage by pub
fishing some verses:
In days Of yore the British troops
Have taken warlike kings in battle;
But now, alas the valor droops,
For Gage takes naught but harmless cattle.
Britons, with grief your bosoms strike,
Your faded iaurels loudly weep;
Behold your heroes, Quixote like
Driving a timid flock Of sheep.
There were some bright men in the
American army, and one of them got
hand-bill printed. Abner took copy
when he went out on picket, rolled a
stone up in it, and threw it to the red
coat. The British soldier picked it up,
unrolled it, and read
AMERICAN SOLDIERS.
1. Seven dollars month.
II. Fresh provisions in plenty.
III. Health.
". Freedom, ease, affluence, anda good
farm.
BRITISH SOLDIERS.
l. Three pence day.
IL. Rotten salt tack.
III. The scurvy.
". Slavery, beggary, and want.
The red-coat put it in his pocket;
but the next night q British soldier
came into camp; the next night anoth-
er one came; and then they came half
dozen at a time-so many of them that
Gen. Howe ordered several who at
tempted to desert to be shot, but not
till large number had deserted.
Then came day of great rejoicing
in the army, for an American vessel,
the Lee, commanded by Capt. Manly,
captured the British brig Nancy, and
took it into Marblehead.
On board the Nancy were 1900 mus
kets, 100000 gun-hints, $4,000 cannon
shot, so tons of musket-ballS, and a
13-inch mortar.
The farmers of Essex County turned
out with their ox-teams, and brought /
the whole 10 the army. When Gen.
Putnam saw the mortar, he seized a |
a bottle of rum, jumped upon it, chris |
tened it I" the Congress" and the sol |
diers shouted and shurrahed till they |
were hoarse. 1taD G-H 1L-1 Z. y
A few days latter, Henry Knox, who
had been q book-senerin Boston, came I
into camp from the West with AZ OK
sleds, bringing nearly 50 cannon from
Ticonderoga, which were mounted in
fbe works which the soldiers had
thrown up.
Eyyhglethisw was goingon, Gen. Thomas
SET some of the soldiers under him at
work making great baskets of alders,
called fascines. Abner Wilke worked
upon them, wondering what the Gen.
ersl Intended to do with them. The
General got together all the empty pork