The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-07-19

This order strikes the keynote of the whole
year. When, by good luck, vessel with
fresh provisions escaped the rebel privateers,
and came up to the town, the welcome sup
ply was sold by auction at the wharf. In a
few instances only, the commissary distrib-
utes fresh meat as part of the ration. But
generally it is handled as few boxes of
strawberries might be,-as luxury to be
doled out with care to the sick, as those who
are most in need
As early as the 2sth Of October, the distri-
button of spruce beer as a preventive of
scnrvy was enforced The allowance to
each man was three pints per day, ITO be
paid for by the Soldiers at Dollar per Bar
rel, containing from 80 to 80 gallons, brewed
with Five Quarts of Molasses and Two
Quarts of Essence of Spruce. A Quarter
Master from the Line will attend each Brew
ing, to see that the Beer is Brewed with
these proportions" The supply of essence
OF spruce having given out, on the 23d OF
December, hemlock spruce itself is served
out for an Infusion, to be given immediate
~ to such men as have the least appearance
of a Scorbutic taint.' And by the Sth of
January we have this sad memorandum
The Sour Crout in possession of each Regi-
ment being in too small quantities to be deliv-
cred to the Soldiers in General; the Regimen
tai Surgeons are to take it into their charge
and appropriate it to the use of such men of
their Corps as have the Scurvey."
So critical was the sanitary condition of
the army, that while Howe was constantly
sending to England transports with invalids
from his hospitals, he had, on the first of
October, ,492 men too sick for duty, while
he had only 6,035 fit for duty, a proportion
on the wrong side which may we'll have ter
rfiad a m, a ndnr ca for irIs cd ha
Had Washington not been as destitute of
ammunition as he was at that time, he
could certainly have swept this disabled ar
my out of Boston then. On the 21st of No
vember things were worse. The sick were
1,723, those fit for duty were only 1922. The
winter brought some re-enforcements, and
sent home some more invalids. But, on the
day of evacuation, Howe carried with him
tc Halifax 594 sick men, and had but 6,646
fit for duty.
The orderly book and the precis of cores
pondence which accompanies il, are bitter
comment ON the disgraeeful lie by which
German and North excused the evacuation
OF Boston, when they were obliged to an
nounce 1t to the House of Commons. They
had the audacity to say that it was in the
execution of orders from home, aud of a
plan long projected, that Howe abandoned
the town to Washington and his triumphant
army. The Lord George German, who
dared to say this, or permit 1t to be said,
was the same man who, on the 9TH of Janu-
airy, had written to General Howe that .the
reasons he had assigned for not removing
from Boston fully justify the Resolution he
had taken on that head, and that even could
he have procured sufficient Quantity of
Transports to have effected the Evacuation
as proposed, it would nevertheless have been
an unadvisable Measure" In the dispatches
alluded to, Howe says that he had not trans
ports enough TO remove his army, being de-
hclent IL ,062 tons, on the third of Decem-
Der. In the three months which followed
he did not receive line from England.
But, without these essential II ,062 tons. he
was obliged in March to leave Boston-and
to carry the Tories of Boston with him As
late as the 10Th of January-in despatch
home-Howe states the steps he should take
Tor transporting the army to New York At
that time be did not contemplate a resting
spell of three months at Halifax; but he
says that ssBoston cannot be evacuated with
o~t-the aid of transports from Europe
he has now learned that zone great diff
~.ity OF that operation would be the re-
moval of the Inhabitants and their Effects
On the 21st of March, however, writing from
Nantasket Roads, Howe acknowledges, with
perfect manhood, the position of affairs.
The words OF the precls are that 'safter all
his struggles to supply the Army with pro-
visions from the Southern provinces and the
West Indies, from whence some of the yes
sells were not returned--and after an anxious
expectation of more Transports to convey
the Troops, Stores, Civil Officers and Effects,
the Enemy by taking possession and fortify-
ing the commanding Heights on Dorchester
Neck, in order TO force the Ships by the Can
non to quit the Harbor,- The was reduced to
the napaSsify aitbnr af ctt,o he
the greatest Distress by remaining in Boston,
or of Withdrawing from it. That the pre-
serving his Force, when it could no longer
act to advantage, left him no doubt of the
propriety of Removal. That he took this
Resolution of the It'll of March and executed
1t on the 18th, without the least molestaiion
from the Rebels. The General then
relates the measures taken by the Rebels to
possess themselves of Dorchester Neck, and
the new Works which they had erected at
Phipp's Farm, from which place and from
Roxbury they had begun to Cannonade the
Town.
After such report from their command
er, German and Lord North had the shame
less audacity to pretend that the evacuation
was made in conformity to orders from
home
The pathetic announcement is made at
the end of this letter, that Howe had not re-
csiveu Que oI tne many dispatches sent him
by Lord George German since his appoint
ment. That is to say, that from the first
week in November till the siege was over,
this poor beleaguered officer had no instruc-
tons or even help from home So close was
the watch on him by sea as well as by land.
we will attempt, in another article, to
print a few OF the general orders in this in
valuable collection, side by side with those
OF Washington, of even dates, referring to
the same matters.