| Citation |
VGW(HU.776.016
24 Feb 1776:23, 31 (1281)
Philadelphia, Feb. 5. Extract of a letter from Cambridge,
January 28.
. . . [6 lines on military news from Cambridge] It would
now be no news to acquaint you with the burning the houses
at Charlestown, or rather at the fort of Bunker's hill, but
the circumstances being old and humourous, shall give them
to you; when about 200 of our people (Col. Mifflin in the
number) were performing the business, the regulars were
acting a play called the Busy Body; that being finished, the
scene were hoisted to perform a farce (wrote by the
officers) called the Blockade of Boston, General Washington,
with a large wig and long rusty sword, had just appeared on
the stage, together with his orderly serjeant, who had a
rusty gun of seven feet long on his shoulder; at that
instant one of the regular serjeants came running (almost
out of breath) on the stage, on which he threw his bayonet,
and hallowed out, Boston is on fire, and attacked in fifty
places; those who were unacquainted with the farce, thought
this part of it, but General Howe cried out, Officers to
your alarm posts, which changed the act to shrieking,
crying, fainting, &c. and indeed the troops on Bunker's hill
were not much less frighted than they were in Boston, . . .
[4 lines]
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