Letters of Hugh, Earl Percy, from Boston and New York, 1774-1776 |
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Adieu my Dear affair agreable Alnwick Abbey Alnwick Castle America army arrived attacked Brigade Camp at Boston Capt Chastown Chronicle Clinton Colonies Commission on Historical Congress Dear DR Dear REVELEY dearest Father Duke of Northumber DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND duty Earl Percy encamped England Fonblanque's Gage Grenadiers Grey Cooper HARVEY HENRY REVELEY Historical Manuscripts honor Horace Walpole House of Percy HUGH EARL PERCY Hulne Priory incessant fire inhabitants July June killed King's Troops lately Ld Percy letter Lord Mahon Lord Percy Lord Rawdon m[ile]s March mother nec'y Newby Wiske Newton Underwood NORTHUMBERLAND My dearest o'clk obliged October ordered Percy's pieces of cannon poll Pompey Porter Rebels regiment retired for 15 retreat from Lexington sail ship shot sincere Friend PERCY Sir Horace Mann Sir Hugh Sir Hugh Smithson spirit THOMAS PERCY town vote Winter wounded wrote yesterday
Popular passages
Page 52 - Rebels attacked us in a very scattered, irregular manner, but with perseverance & resolution, nor did they ever dare to form into any regular body. Indeed, they knew too well what was proper, to do so. Whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob, will find XVIII himself much mistaken.
Page 50 - As all the houses were shut up and there was not the appearance of a single inhabitant, I could get no intelligence concerning them till I had passed Menotomy, when I was informed that the Rebels had attacked His Majesty's troops, who were retiring, overpowered by numbers, greatly exhausted and fatigued, and having expended almost all their ammunition. And about 2 o'clock I met them retiring through the town of Lexington. I immediately ordered the 2 fieldpieces to fire at the Rebels, and drew up...
Page 53 - You may depend upon it, that as the rebels have now had time to prepare, they are determined to go through with it, nor will the insurrection here turn out so despicable as it is perhaps imagined at home. For my part, I never believed, I confess that they would have attacked the King's troops or have had the perseverance I found in them yesterday.
Page 35 - Massachusetts under the charter] relating to the town meetings is strongly characteristic of the people. They say that since the town meetings are forbid by the Act, they shall not hold them, but as they do not see any mention made of county meetings, they shall hold them for the future. They therefore go a mile out of town, do just the same business there they formerly did in Boston, call it a county meeting, & so elude the Act.
Page 53 - Whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob will find himself much mistaken. They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about...
Page 30 - ... Correspondence and Congresses with the other Colonies high treason & try them for it in England, you must never expect perfect obedience & submission from this to the Mother Country." " This is the most beautiful country I ever saw in my life," writes Percy, under the head, " Camp of Boston, Aug. 8, 1774," "& if the people were only like it, we shd do very well. Everything, however, is as yet quiet, but they threaten much. Not that I believe they dare act.
Page 29 - ... Percy Letters. About twothirds of the thirty-three letters here given are printed from copies of the originals made by the late Rev. Edward Griffin Porter; and by far the most interesting of the letters (twenty-five in number; were written from Boston. Percy found our changeable climate trying, having been " in the Torrid & Frigid Zone frequently in the space of 24 hours." As for the country, it would require an abler pen than his " to describe its different beauties.
Page 52 - ... us wherever we went, till we arrived at Charlestown at 8 in the ev'g, . . . & having expended almost every cartridge. You will easily conceive that in such a retreat, harassed as we were on all sides, it was impossible not to lose a good many men.
Page 51 - ... take, lest the rebels should have taken up the bridge at Cambridge (which I find was actually the case), and also as the country was more open, and the road shorter. During the whole of our retreat the rebels endeavored to annoy us by concealing themselves behind stone-walls and within houses, and firing straggling shot at us from thence ; nor did I during the whole time perceive any body of them drawn up together, except near Cambridge, just as we turned down towards Charlestown, who dispersed...
Page 50 - Brigade, sending out very strong flanking parties, which were absolutely necessary, as there was not a stone-wall or house, though before in appearance evacuated, from whence the Rebels did not fire upon us. As soon as they saw us begin to retire, they pressed very much upon our rear guard, which for that reason I relieved every now and then. In this manner we retired for 15 miles under an incessant fire all...