The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1911-02-24

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to hold, and dropped it very quickly.
In a few days the English admiral,
finding his ships could not lay in the
harbor in safety, and after ten days
bombarding u fort without doing us
any damage. sent word to General
lot to fire upon his ships, the troops
would %evacuate Boston and the ships
leave the harbor, but without that
promise he should burn the town to
ashes. Washington gave his word
that they should pass unmolested, and
on the 18th saw them set sail! We
most gladly marched into Boston, and
found the people rejoiced to be re-
leased, and no wonder, for they had
been shut in for 16 months-suffer-
ing, hunger and other privations.
Some had their stores rifed to feed
and clothe the British soldiers-but
all was for the time forgotten in re-
joicing at seeing their oppressors
gone from them.
After serving my time out, which
was three months, l returned home,
strongly in love Of my country's cause,
SO much 81 that l soon enlisted again
for nine months in a company from
Eastman. under Capt. Isaiah Higgins,
and again went to Boston, and was
employed some time building fortiti-
cations in Boston harbor. l then en-
listed in another company, under Cap
tain Hamilton OF Chatham, and
marched to Rhode Island, where l was
employed with others in building for
tifications, and drilling with the army
stationed there till the time expired
for which l enlisted (six months).
The ship Defence, of IS guns, want
ing a crew, myself and some others
from the cape and from Boston, en-
gagged to make up the complement Of
men. Soon all was ready, and the
ship put to sea under command of
Captain Samuel Smedley, to cruise
for a prize, hoping soon to meet with
an English vessel. On the third day
out a quartermaster broke out with
smallpox, when it was decided by the
officers that all the crew should be
vaccinated-this made sickness
enough, and we feared the result
few days a sail was seen, which
proved to be a large English letter-of-
marque, and u captain determined
to engage her, although 80 of our crew
were sick of smallpox, and a number
not able to sit up to take a seat on
the hencoop and use small arms. l
could sit up and walk some, so | took
a gun and sat upon the hencoop till
the action commenced, when | forgot
my sickness, sprang to my feet and
loaded and fired my piece as fast as
possible--and as the powder monkey
brought up the cartridges to distribute
them among us, l took a handful and
threw them into the bosom of my
shirt, which hung bagging down
enough to receive them, and so con-
tinued to fire away, not thinking | was
in danger of lighting the contents OF
my bosom with my own firelock. The
battle went on; l now had only a pair
or canvas trousers and a tow shirt,
and fired till my gun was very hot,
and then changed 1t for another.
The engagement lasted three glasses
(three half hours), when she struck
her colors to us. When we boarded
her we found she was from LIVERPOOL
bound to Jamaica, and had on board
a governor for that island and other
passengers OF some note, with many
valuable articles, a quantity of plate
belonging to passengers, besides a car
CO-Ui,ifo a vol