George Washington Papers
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https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-03-02-0295

To George Washington from Brigadier General William Heath, 3 March 1776

From Brigadier General William Heath

March 3th 1776

I Visited the Guards on Yesterday, found them in Good Order, Ordered Grand Rounds to begin their Round at Eleven, Visiting Rounds at Three and Patroles between each Relief, Officers of the Day Report, That in the Night, they found the Guards Vigilant, & Sentinels remarkably Alert.

At Five this morning I visited the Guards at Lechmeres point, found them in the Works reinforced with five Companies of Colo. Phinny’s Regiment, was Informed that at Eleven at night a Cannonade and Bombardment on the Town of Boston, began from the Forts on Cobble Hill and Lechmeres Point, which was Seconded from the works at Lambs Dam in Roxbury, And Continued with Intervals Untill morning, During which Time the Thirteen & Ten Inch Mortars at Lechmeres Point, were Burst in Firing; After having Thrown a number of shells into the Town, The Enemy threw Shells and Fired a number of shott at our works, one Shell fell into the Citidel on Prospect Hill whereby the Platform of one of the Cannon was Damaged, But through the Interposition of Kind Providence there was no man either Killed or Wounded, nither did any of the Enemy’s Shells fall into the works on Lechmeres Point.1

W. Heath Brigr Genl of the Day

ADS, DNA: RG 93, Revolutionary War Rolls; ADfS, MHi: Heath Papers. Heath included with his report a return of the guards “in the Two Divisions in the Cambridge Department.” In the report he notes that the guard at Lechmere’s Point bridge “is Still taken from the Point the Detail of which is Included in the Point Guard” (see Heath to GW, 29 Feb. 1776).

1Col. Daniel Hitchcock, field officer of the day for the left wing, reported to Heath on this date that “about 11 aClock a Bumbardment & Cannonading began on our Side which was soon answered by the enemy Two for one; the shells thrown from Lechmores point according to the Best of my Judgement Fell near Funueil Hall in the Beseiged Town of Boston. the cannon & mortors at the same Time played at Roxberry. but from appearence Never reached the Town of Boston[.] Just at Day breack at the point at New Boston a Shell from a Thirteen Inch mortar fell within the Citadell on Prospect Hill upon a platform on which stood one of our Twelve pounders went through it & burst without injureing the cannon or a Single person within the Citadel Notwithstanding the same was full of our people then there at their alarm post” (MHi: Heath Papers). British engineer Archibald Robertson wrote in his diary entry for 2 Mar.: “about midnight the Rebels fired a few Shells from Phipps’s Farm [Lechmere’s Point] and some Shot which they continued at Intervals through the Night, fireing in all 11 Shells and 13 Shots without hurting any Body. Two Shells they fired from Roxburgh. We Return’d some Shells and Shot during the night” (Lydenberg, Robertson Diaries description begins Harry Miller Lydenberg, ed. Archibald Robertson, Lieutenant-General Royal Engineers: His Diaries and Sketches in America, 1762–1780. New York, 1930. description ends , 73).

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