The Battle of Hog Island

MAY 28. —YESTERDAY a party of the American army at Cambridge, to the number of between two and three hundred men, had orders to drive off the live stock from Hog and Noddle's islands. In attempting to carry out these orders, they were attacked by the king's troops. The combat began on Hog island about five o'clock in the afternoon, and continued almost incessantly till midnight. The attack was made with cannon, swivels, and small arms, from an armed schooner, sloop, and eight or ten barges, upon our people, who had small arms only, but were very advantageously posted by Colonel Putnam, who got to them just in season to station and command them properly. He placed them in a ditch up to their wastes in water, and covered by the bank, to their necks. The schooner, sloop, and boats full of men, came within twelve or fifteen rods of them, and gave our people a fine opportunity to place their shot well. About midnight the fire ceased a little, and our people retreated to the main land, where they were soon after joined by Captain Foster with two field-pieces, which were planted on the way of Winnesimit ferry. At daylight this morning, the combat was renewed, and as the schooner passed the ferry way, she was briskly attacked by our people, with the field-pieces and small arms, which soon clearing her deck, she drifted on shore, where our people set fire to her, and she blew up, notwithstanding the utmost endeavors of the people in the boats to tow her off, and save her from destruction. In this they exposed themselves much to our fire, and suffered greatly. When they found the schooner was lost, they with difficulty towed off the sloop, much disabled, and retired to their den; and thus ended the combat. This afternoon our people got out of the wreck twelve four-pounders, six swivels, and every thing else that was valuable, without molestation; they afterwards destroyed or removed from both the islands all the stock, a large quantity of hay, and burned all the barns and houses.

All this was done in sight, and as we may say, under the noses of the whole fleet and army at Boston without molestation. The killed of the enemy (General Gage's crew of enemies to the English constitution) they themselves allow to be more than one hundred, besides wounded; others, who have good opportunity to know, say their killed and wounded exceed three hundred, and I believe they have suffered as much as in their precipitate flight from Lexington on the memorable 19th of April. Our killed none! wounded three! Heaven apparently, and most evidently, fights for us, covers our heads in the day of battle, and shields our people from the assaults of our common enemies. What thanks can speak our gratitude!

These interpositions, and our determined resolutions, may perhaps make our haughty enemies glad to quit their unjust professions for a cooler and more calm retreat, in some distant quarter of the globe; and leave us peaceably to enjoy those rights and liberties which God in our nature has given us, as our inalienable right, and which they are most unjustly endeavoring to wrest from us by violence.¹

¹ Pennsylvania Journal, June 21, 1775.

MAY 30. —A CAPTAIN who was lately seized by Admiral Greaves and taken into Boston, has just come out; he says he was at the wharf at Noddle's island when the battle began. The master of the Diana schooner told him, that guns were never better served than the Americans'; that not a shot missed him.¹ One man was carried on board for dead, but the next morning he came to, and had not the least wound about him; others were frightened almost to death. There is an amazing difference in the looks and behavior of the enemy since the battle, from what there was before; before there was nothing but noise and confusion, now all is still and quiet, insomuch that one can hardly perceive that there is any fleet or army there. From the general down to the common soldier, they seem to be in a great panic, and are afraid to go to bed for fear the Yankees will kill them before morning.²

¹ General Putnam, by his ingenious invention and invincible courage, having nearly expended his cannon ball before the king's schooner, took this method to get more from the Somerset in Boston harbor: He ordered parties consisting of about two or three of his men, to show themselves on the top of a certain sandy hill, near the place of action, in sight of the man-of-war, but at a great distance, in hopes that the captain would be fool enough to fire at them. It had the desired effect, and so heavy a fire ensued from this ship and others, that the country round Boston thought the town was attacked. By this he obtained several hundred balls, which were easily taken out of the sand, and much sooner than he could have sent to head-quarters for them. —Constitutional Gazette, Sept. 23.

² Pennsylvania Journal, June 28, 1775.