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| The Amazing Discovery of Lieutenant
James William III by Abdullahi M. |
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October 28, 1768
Dearest Wife Elizabeth,
Today I write to you from the dirty and unwelcoming Common in
Boston. We are forced to stay here because the people of Boston
will not give us a quarter. It is cool during the day and
freezing
at night. Many fellow soldiers joined the army to avoid jail
because they are criminals. It is very hard to work with such
people sometimes. Some soldiers tried to get away with not
cleaning their uniforms and they were whipped with cat of nine
tails. Many of my fellow lads complain about our pay of eight
pence a day. They think it is unfair. Many look for jobs to
earn more money.
Each day we must go through inspection. We have clean and polish
our boots, buttons, and buckles. Some fellow soldiers did not shave and
their uniforms were not clean, so they were punished. One soldier
tried to run but he was caught and executed. Life is very
hard. We train all day, and we carry our heavy belongings and our
muskets. on our backs. When the colonists see us wearing our
uniform they taunt us and throw snow and ice at us. As they pass
us they shoot us very angry looks.
A lot of the soldiers have been getting sick because of yellow fever
and many diseases, like smallpox,malaria, influenza. There are not many
doctors here in Boston unlike England, where there are lot of
physicians and midwifes, who can treat them. Midwives are
important to us because there are soldiers who have their wives and
children with them.
My life is different from many of the other soldiers. I am a well
respected English Lieutenant and I am here to serve the Crown. I
hope the rebels in Boston do not cause trouble with the Royal
troops. I worry about our future in Boston.
With love,
James William III
March 5, 1770
To my dearest wife Elizabeth,
Today I write to you my wife to tell you of the vexing people of
Boston. It all started when my fellow soldiers were looking for
work. A group of young rebels were taunting a sentry. I was
having tea with my captain, Thomas Preston, when we heard a sentry cry
for help. We hurriedly rushed to help the Sentry. We heard
an angry crowd yelling Fire! Fire!. I was standing next to
Captain Preston and I heard him shouting not to fire. Also I
yelled his message not to fire to the soldiers. Preston was
pleading with the crowd to calm down. I was very afraid that we
were going to be attacked, and I was so confused.
The most anguishing events followed. A shot was fired and others
followed. The crowd fled, and five were left dead and others
wounded. I felt very upset about what happened to the British
soldiers and the Bostonians. I could hardly speak of the events that
happened in Boston today. I Am pleading to come back to England
see you my wife and little lambs.
I have sad news about my dear friend Preston he was arrested for the
massacre on King street. Their will be a trail in the future. I
will write to you my wife when I get the chance.
Your dearest husband,
James William III
October 17, 1770
To my dearest wife Elizabeth,
It was a bloody day here in Boston. Those so called Patriots have
been taunting my fellow soldiers, constantly calling them “Lobster
backs” or “bloody backs”, and I am very vexed by them. Now my
fellow troops are beginning to get tired of them. I tell my
troops, “Pay no mind to them for they are rebels and you are the
Crown’s Army.”
Captain Preston has been held for trial for the massacre on King
Street. No one in Boston wanted to defend us for the trial of the
massacre and that got me very angry as well. There was one man
who became the defense lawyer. His name is John Adams, one of the
best lawyers in Boston. That changed my mind about
Bostonians. I thought that the Bostonians were hostile towards
us, the British soldiers, but I was pleased to discover that a Patriot
would stand up for Preston. One of the witnesses standing up for
Captain Preston was John Frost, for he, along with Benjamin Lee said
that Preston didn’t fire. William Wyat and Daniel Calef told the
court that the Captain did order the fire. In the courtroom I
stood against the brick wall in the back and said, “Don’t speak ill of
him. He is your Crown’s captain.”
The crown’s soldiers had to wait eight days watching every part of the
trial. The jury came to a decision. The jury found Captain
Preston not guilty. The rest of the soldiers were not guilty,
except for Matthew Kilroy and Hugh Montgomery, who shot the
colonists. Their right thumbs were branded with an “M” for murder.
I wanted to yell at the jury for finding those poor innocent British
soldiers guilty. They were only defending themselves against an
armed crowd of angry rebels. There were adults, teenagers, and
children all carrying rocks and sticks.
After the trial General Gage ordered Captain Preston to tell the
soldiers to move out of Boston to Castle Island. I was relieved
to hear that I am to go back to my country, to my people, and of course
to you, my wife. My dearest wife and children, I will come to you
soon, after the long journey back home.
Your dearest husband,
James William III
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Historical References
Anonymous Account of the Boston Massacre.
HTTP://www.bostonmassacre.net..4-27-06.1996.
Joy Hakim; From colonies to country. Oxford university press. New York.
2003.
Colonial Willamburg. http://www.Colonial
Willamburg.org/almanac/life/food/food .cfm./4/31/06
The British Army During The American
Revolution.www.cvco.org/sgs/rag04/intro .htm.3-30-06
Murray Stuart. American Revolution. Dk publishing. Inc.
2005 dk publishing. Inc
Penner, Recht. Liberty. First land mart books. 2002. |
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