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JAMES BOWDOIN TO MASSACHUSETTS COUNCIL.
Boston, July 25, 1776.
HONOURABLE GENTLEMEN: The enclosed petition, from Winslow, came to hand the last evening. The most effectual means of securing the eastern part of the Colony from an inland attack, and quieting the minds of the people settled there, I humbly apprehend, is, to engage the St. John's, Mickmack, Penobscot, and other eastern Indians, to engage heartily in the war, agreeably to General Washington's request. For this purpose I beg leave to suggest to your Honours, whether it would not be proper that three or four, or more, suitable persons be engaged to go immediately into the Indian country, along with the Indians that are now there, and inlist them into the service without delay. I cannot but apprehend such a measure would be attended with success, and that General Washington, in that case, would in a short time have a considerable body of them; which would answer the double purpose of assisting him and securing our eastern frontiers, which otherwise may be in great danger of being broken up by these same Indians.
I am, most respectfully, your Honours' most obedient, humble servant,
JAMES BOWDOIN.
To the Honourable Council of Massachusetts-Bay.
J. PALMER TO RICHARD DEVENS.
Germantown, July 25, 1776.
DEAR SIR: Mr. Bates has finished six pieces, and would have finished the other four, had he had iron. He mentions to me your sending one ton of the largest iron for the four mentioned, and for the six large ones which are to be done, and says he should be glad to have the wheels for the first ten pieces. He also says he shall want cash as soon as the other ten are finished, in order to keep up the spirit for doing the others. Perhaps when you send him the iron and the wheels, the same vessel may take the six pieces from thence for Hull.
Pray my compliments to the Committee. I hope this will find them well. I very much want to see them at Hull, to which place I was just setting out.
And remain ever, your very humble servant,
J. PALMER.
To Richard Devens, Esq., Commissary-General, Boston.
P. S. Please send me news, or the papers; for news is so refined when it reaches Hull that we don't understand it. The Committee want paper at Hull; J. P. has expended all his own, or nearly all.
MASSACHUSETTS COUNCIL TO DEACON NEWELL.
July 25, 1776.
SIR: The Council have this minute received information that Colonel Reed's regiment, in the County of Middlesex, are now delayed from marching towards Canada solely for want of camp-kettles, which were to have been delivered at Concord some time since. You will be pleased to inform the bearer whether those kettles are gone forward to Concord or not; if not, whether it is in your power to send them forward immediately; if that should not be the case, you will direct the bearer to Dr. Carling, or any other person whose province it is to order those matters, that the kettles may be sent forward with all possible despatch. I need not urge the necessity of sending this article immediately, as the soldiers are now lying on the road.
By order of Council:
JNO. AVERY, D. Secretary.
To Deacon Timothy Newell.
GENERAL WARD TO GENERAL WASHINGTON.
Boston, July 25, 1776.
SIR: Herewith is enclosed Returns of the Stores in this division of the Continental Army. I shall immediately send to the Agents to furnish those articles mentioned in Mr. Webb's letter of the 18th instant, and shall comply as far as is in my power with all your directions therein.
As soon as the regiments are able to march, I shall give orders therefor, and immediately retire.
lam, your Excellency's obedient and very humble servant,
ARTEMAS WARD.
To General Washington.
A Return of Ordnance Stores.
1Round Shot: 1-pounders 11,400, 2-pounders 340, 3-pounders 800, 6-pounders 4,100, 9-pounders 460,12-pounders 2,800, 18-pounders 480, 24-pounders 2,030, 32-pounders 62.
Boxes of Round Shot, with wood bottoms: 3-pounders 1, 6-pounders 24, 12-pounders 17, 24-pounders 3.
Boxes of Case-Shot, with wood bottoms: 2½-pounders 1, 6-pounders 9, 12-pounders 30, 18-pounders 3, 24-pounders 15; 5½-inch howitzer 4, 8-inch howitzer 1.
Caps and Cylinders: 6-pounders 800, 12-pounders 2,200.
Empty Cartridges: flannel, 6-pounders 1,600, paper, 12-pounders 3,000, hand-grenadoes 720.
Shells: 5½-inch 510, 8-inch 200, 10-inch 795, 13-inch 167.
Mortar Beds: 8-inch 2, 10-inch 2.
Barrels of powder 856, barrels of brimstone 2, barrels of turpentine 2.
Weight of musket balls 9 tons 6 ct., buck-shot 10 ct., junk 13 ct., chalk 140 lbs., thread 70 lbs., twine 12 lbs., sheet lead 5ct., slowmatch 150 lbs.
Carcasses: 8-inch oblong 35, 10-inch round 11, 13-inch round 37.
Drums: serviceable 29, unserviceable 15; Fifes 18.
Musket cartridges of all sorts 37,700, cartouch boxes 351, hand-bellows, double blast, 1 pair, budge barrels 5, pincers 2 pair, funnels 6, hammers 2, park pickets 2.
Flints: Musket 11,000, carbine 2,500, wallpiece 250.
Reams of Cartridge Paper: Cannon 36, musket 28.
Barrows: Hand 8, wheel 31.
Lanterns: Muscovy 5, dark 2, common 6.
Harness: sets of men's 60. Horse: saddles 68, bridles 40, collars 82, harness 22.
Tanned hides 4, copper ladles, without staves, 6-pounders, 4.
Spare Spunge and Ram Heads: 6-pounders 16, 24-pounders 1.
Jars of Oil: Sweet 3, train 13.
Coils of White Rope: l½-inch 2, 2-inch 1, 3½-inch 1, 4½-inch 1.
Casks of Spikes: 7-inch 9, 8-inch 2.
Melting; ladles 5, casks of streak nails 3, sheep skins 40, brass scales and weights 1 pair, handspikes 30, camp-kettles, with fryingpan covers, 66, 6 dozen of fuses fixed, 50 dozen of tubes fixed, bottoms of wood for 13-inch mortars 90, watch-coats 12, hand-screws 2 pair, powder-horns 2,890, boxes of grape-shot 16, shot-bags 1,430, unserviceable firearms 614, gun-locks 54, yards of bunting 35, sand-bags 500, priming-wires and brushes 3,500, fuse compound 2 boxes, 5 small coils of common cordage, scaling-ladders 19, spare travelling carriages for 12-pounders 4, sets of iron carriage-wheels 30, cod lines 32.
Ordnance Store, Boston, July 22, 1776.
Errors excepted.
Per NATHANIEL BARBER, Jun.,
Deputy Commissary of Artillery.
N. B. Included in the above Return: At Roxbury: Powder 500 bbls.; shells, 13-inch 92, 10-inch 43, 8-inch 19.
At Cambridge: Powder 232 bbls.; shells, 13-inch 75, 10-inch 371, 8-inch 181, 5½-inch 610.
A Return of Ordnance Stores, made to His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, July 22, 1776.
Round Shot, with wooden bottoms: 6-pounders 1,792, 12-pounders 720, 24-pounders 136.
Round Shot, without bottoms: 3-pounders 416, 6-pounders 720, 9-pounders 680, 12-pounders 2,275, 18-pounders 600, 24-pounders 1,130, 32-pounders 1,884.
With Flannel Cartridges filled: 6 pounders 64.
Case Shot, with wooden bottoms: 12-pounders 348, 24-pounders 71.
Case Shot, with Flannel Cartridges filled: 3-pounders 721, 6-pounders 890, 9-pounders 150,12-pounders 82, 24-pounders 40, for 8-inch howitzers 21, 5½-inch howitzers 58.
Carcasses: 13-inch 31, 10-inch 14, 8-inch 63.
Grape Shot: 32-pounders 82.
Double-headed Shot, (bar and sliding:) 18-pounders 49, 24-pounders 21, 32-pounders 261.
Paper Cartridges, filled: 3-pounders 416, 6-pounders 104, 9-pounders 132, 12-pounders 115, 18-pounders 328, 24-pounders 23, 32-pounders 555.
Paper Cartridges, empty: 3-pounders 2,000, 6-pounders 5,000, 9-pounders 800, 12-pounders 12,000, 18-pounders 300, 24-poundevs 6,010, 32-pounders 450.
Flannel Cartridges, empty, (light and heavy.) 6-pounders 2,400, 12-pounders 2,100, 24-pounders 1,450.
Caps and Cylinders: 6-pounders 1,220, 12-pounders 3,660, 24-pounders 1,900.
Reams of Cartridge Paper: musket 52, cannon 10.
Fixed Fuses: 4 2-5-inch 3,000, 8-inch 188, 13-inch 59.
Empty Fuses: 13-inch 75, 8-inch 2,000, 5½-inch 2,000.
Spunges, with Rammer Heads: 3-pounders 19, 6-pounders 36, 12-pounders 5, 18-pounders 2, 24-pounders 3, 32-pounders 3.
Wad Hooks: 3-pounders 13, 4-pounders 4, 6-pounders 7, 32-pounders 3.
Copper Ladles: 3-pounders 9, 4-pounders 25, 6-pounders 43, 9-pounders 10, 12-pounders 16, 18-pounders 12, 24-pounders 1, 32-poundera 12.
Shells: Hand-grenades 260, 4½-inch 23,000, 5½-inch 2,200, 8-inch 1,900, 10-inch 300, 13-inch 27.
Spikes for laying Platforms: 7-inch 1,800, 8-inch 5,500.
Sets of Harness: Men's 100, horse 60.
2,800 powder-horns, 16 haversacks for Artillery, 14 sets of drag-ropes, 213 handspikes, 3 sets of gin-blocks, 28 portfire-stocks, 85 linstocks, 3 matchlocks, 50 dozen of port-fires, 76 cannon priming-irons, 45 sheep-skins for spunges, 3 budge-barrels.
Tin Tubes: Fixed 3,000.
Pincers: For drawing tubes 48; 14 hammers.
Weight of slow match 23 ct., sulphur 50 lbs., saltpetre 90lbs., musket-ball 3,700 lbs., buck-shot 300 lbs., thread 12 lbs., twine 63 lbs., lead 23 ct., rosin 2ct.
30,000 flints, 114,000 musket-cartridges, 15,000 musket primingwires and brushes, 5 tanned hides, 3 handscrews, 55 wooden cases for cannon cartridges.
Sand Bags: bushel, 5,000, half bushel, 5,000.
Oil: sweet 15 gallons, Spermaceti 15 gallons.
Lanterns; Muscovy 2, horn 2.
20,000 spunge tacks, 500 copper nails.
Fire-Arms: Carbines 74, rifles 150, unserviceable 720.
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