have something to write you of the Operations of war, but it is a barren time. I have not been at the Camp since my arrival here — I mean to our new Assembly. we are going on in the old way with Business enough before us. The Council met but yesterday. they choose a Secretary this day. I presume you will be the man. I hear you talk of adjourning. I want to see you, but I fear if you adjourn the same Reverence will not attend the proceedings of your Committee. my room is full of Company this morning and I am much hurried. I cant therefore add more than my regards to all friends, perticularly my good Friend, Mr. Adams. I am sincerely your Friend,

J. WARREN

I shall write you again as soon as I can. we have great Numbers of Gentlemen resorting to this Colony from the rest. could wish to know what men you would like to hear of.

JAMES WARREN TO SAMUEL ADAMS 1

WATERTOWN, Augt. 4th, 1775

MY DEAR SIR, I am greatly obliged to you for your Letter of the 24th July 2 which I received on Sunday last. I Intended to have wrote you before this and perticularly by an Express of the Generals, which he told me would go on Wednesday, and I suppose is now gone; but I have not had it in my power to do it. Interruptions of one kind or another have prevented whenever I had assigned a Time for it. besides I have some doubts how it should be performed. I am sensible Confiding in your Candour I have wrote with great Ease to myself and I suppose Incorrectness; but have Endeavoured to Collect facts, etc., and give them to you as well as I could, and it seems to me, as far as I can recollect, I have generally given you or my Good Friend, Mr. J. Adams (which I conceive to be the same thing) all the Facts and material Events that had taken place here which I could suppose you was not otherways acquainted with. however, I designed it and if I have failed from any other reason but from want of ability, will try to reform, being very well disposed both from Inclination and Policy to Contribute all I can to the weight and Importance of the Mass[achusetts] Delegates, and Especially to that of Mr. Adams who I can assure you I think was a Judicious Choice and is a man after my own heart.

I can again assure you with Confidence that every thing in the Army is easy. I know of no Suspicions or Uneasiness among the Officers or I From the Samuel Adams Papers in the New York Public Library. 2 Vol. 1. 89, supra.

Soldiers. General Spencer at first left the Camp but is again returnd and I believe Behaves well. General Washington's, Lee's, Gates', and the Character of the Gentlemen with them are greatly Esteemed and unlimited Confidence is placed in them. The state of our Army is very pleasing. they are Healthy, vigorous, Intrepid, and orderly and well supplied with every thing but one. that I cant think of without Gloom and fearful Apprehensions, but I trust the Goodness of a kind Providence and the Vigilance of your Congress. for God's Sake, Exert yourselves to free us from our Apprehensions. you will hear from the General on this Head. the Situation of our Brethren in Boston is beyond description miserable, in want of Necessaries, sickly and dyeing, Tyranny, Famine and Pestilence are their Portion at once. I must refer you to my Friend Adams to whom I wrote all the perticulars I knew with regard to them, and likewise for the little Skirmishes that have taken place after so profound a Tranquility.1 very little has happened since I wrote him. the Rifle men and some others are continually firing on them and they frequently return the fire of their Cannon. we kill them some men almost every day. The People at Machias, an obscure, small Town in the Eastermost parts of this Colony, you may remember some time ago took two Sloops from one Jones (a dog) and a Tender. they have now taken another Tender without the loss of a man, and among other things with ten bbls. powder and £50 sterling in Cash. in this way they will be a Maritime Power. they Bid as fair for it as Charthage in the days of Queen Dido, and almost as much so as England in the days of Queen Bess. We may be able another Year to Convey the Delegates to Philadelphia (if they Choose to go by water) against the Navy of Britain. Are we not to hear of an Expedition into Canada and of Treaties with foreign powers, at least Commercial. do let the Grandeur and Importence of your measures command the Astonishment while the Wisdom of them Excites the Reverence of the world. You tell me you Expect a short Adjournment. I will be glad to see you. we are drudging on in the old way, and a dull one it is, not so much as Enlivened with the usual Altercations with an Infamous Governor. I Inclosed a Letter for you in Mr. Adams. give my perticular regards to him. My Compliments to all Friends. Mr. Paine I will next write to him. I have taken Care to see your Son provided for and should have done it before but for a mistake. I took another man of the same Name, a Surgeon of one of the Regiments, to be him and signed the warrant with great pleasure, as I always feel Interested in whatever relates to your family. no News from England. what the old Squaw is about, we cant conjecture and dont much Care. I hope she is raising Troops to subdue America. I am your Friend. Adieu. JAS: WARREN

1 Vol. 1. 95, supra.

JAMES WARREN to Samuel ADAMS 1

WATERTOWN, Sepr. 28, 1775

MY DEAR SIR, - I had the pleasure Yesterday of hearing for the first Time of your safe Arrival at Philadelphia, and of your performing the Journey in a manner that Contributed much to your Health, to the Sociability on the way, and to the Character of the Statesman. as it is said that Horsemanship and dexterity in rideing on the Saddle are necessary to Compleat that Character, I really give you Joy on this Occasion and that this Important Acquisition was made by the help of flannel without Injury. I am obliged to my Friend, Mr. Adams, for this Intelligence, whose Letter 2 I received yesterday by Mr. Cabot wholly on that Subject, which shews the Importance of it in his mind and his fondness for Fame and Glory. for he assumes the whole merit of first Adviseing and then giveing the Necessary Instructions. I never feel disposed to lessen his Glory and Fame and shall readily in this Instance allow him the Honour of Compleating the Character of a Great Statesman and prolonging the Life of a distinguished Patriot. In my last to Mr. Adams I promised to write you soon. as I always choose to keep my promises, I sit down this morning for that purpose, tho' I am unable to give you any Important Intelligence. All things remain pretty much in the same state as when I last wrote Mr. Adams. we make Advances upon them daily with our works. they have for a week past been very still, scarce a shott has been fired. Arnold went off with his detachment, Embarked at Newberry Port, and without Interruption arrived safe at Kennebeck. it is said they supposed we gave out as a Blind that this Expedition was designed for Quebec, and that the real Intention was to attack Hallifax, get their Stores and destroy their Guard there. Accordingly a Fleet and Force is sent to defend it, unless they practise this kind of policy and have gone to Quebec. but what but their Cowardice or want of Common Sense should have prevented our small Fleet in their passage from Newberry to Kennebeck. they are indeed poor Dogs. Wallace at Newport makes great Havock among the Trade and sends whole Fleets to Boston. our Machias Admiral has been and Burnt the Fort on St. John's River, took away all the Cannon, six or seven, and has taken a Vessel Bound to Boston with thirty head Cattle, seventy Sheep, some Swine, 2000 lbs. Butter and Cheese, seventy Dollars, six watches, some English Goods. Our Assembly are setting, but no one Event of any Consequences has taken place. do let me know how we are to account for the strange delay of the Money that was ordered from Philadelphia. our Conjectures are I From the Samuel Adams Papers in the New York Public Library. 2 Vol. 1. 109, supra.

various and my Curiosity is much raised. it is certainly very Extraordinary to have an Army of 20,000 men, appointed and stationed without one single Dollar to support or provide for them. The Character and Credit of many of the Officers at Stake and suffering. The provisions in a manner stopd. Our Friends astonished and our Enemies diverted. I shall write you as soon as possible again. in the meantime am with wishes for your Happiness your Friend

J. W.

Present with the Inclosed Letter my regards to my Friend Adams, my Compliments to Mr. Cushing, Pain, Hancock, Ward, and all Enquiring Friends, if there be any, particularly to Mr. Collins to whom shall write

soon.

JAMES WARREN TO (?) 1

WATERTOWN, Oct. 2d, 1775

SIR, You will see by this Instance what difficulties you may Involve yourself in, by what at first you perhaps meant only as a Compliment. As was no more than the Natural Effusions of a friendly disposition I have had it in Contemplation to write to you, ever since you thought it worth while to request it, and have waited only for some Events of Importance to take place, that I might with the greater probability succeed in my Wishes by gratifying you with some Intelligence. Things in our Camp and about Boston remain pretty much as they were when you left us. We have made some small Advances upon them since; every thing of that Kind as soon as they discover it, has Irritated and made them very waspish for a little while. A smart Cannonade at first has been the Certain Consequence, which has done us very little Injury, and we have generally Treated with Neglect, and suffered them to Tire themselves like other Children with their own ill humour, till after a little while when the peevish fit has gone off they can see us without any seeming Emotion finish at our Ease, what at first so highly provoked them. I do not recollect any Skirmishes that have happened between our Troops and theirs, or any Important Military Movements, I mean since you was here. it has been a rare thing for ten days past to hear a Cannon. we keep them Confined and watch them with Care. I am inclined to think we shall have occasion to do little else. The Duty and fatigue of the army in Boston is so great and Intollerable, that Joined with their manner of Living must sweep them off by Thousands. Desertions from them are frequent, I From the Emmet Collection in the New York Public Library.

very commonly four or five in a week. they say the soldiers are very Uneasy, Almost ready to Mutiny, that they have had fresh provisions served them but once since the Battle of Lexington and no Vegetables. that they are in their Beds but one Night in four and that great Numbers wait only for an Opportunity to desert. A Party of our Men last week went upon Governor's Island and brought off all the Stock except a few Horses which they could not catch and did not think prudent to fire att. The People at Marblehead have taken a Vessel from New Providence with Turtle and other delacacies the produce of that Island and designed for the delicate palates of the Rebels in Boston, but by a S: West Wind forced into Marblehead. The People of Cape Ann have taken a Brigantine from Quebec for Boston with Cattle, Sheep, Oatmeal, and some Forrage for the Rebel army and Carried her into that place. The armed Vessel at Machias have destroyed the remains of the fort at St. John's River, brought off some Cannon and taken a Brigantine from Nova Scotia for Boston with Stock, etc. Coll. Arnold was eight days ago sixty miles up Kennebeck with his detachment for Quebec, all in high Spirits and well provided, so that we have the most pleasing prospects of Success in Canada. Two letters were found on Board the Brigantine from Quebec wrote by one Gamble, who chartered her. he is an Officer in the Army and Intimately acquainted with Gage. one Letter is to Gage, the other to Maj. Sherriff, telling them that no Aid is to be Expected to Government from that Quarter, that Carlton dare not Issue his Orders to the Militia, supposeing they would not be obeyed, and that the Canadians, poisoned from N. England, had got the use of that damned Abused word Liberty. We have no Communication with Boston but by a Boat to Chelsea once or twice a week, in which are suffered to come out only one or two persons of little or no Consequence. We cant learn with any Certainty if any reinforcements are Expected from England. the Soldiers are Indeed told that large ones will soon arrive. this we consider as Calculated to quiet them and reconcile them to the severity of their Duty and hard fare. I have now only to apologise for this Letter which is wrote in a hurry and with a Carelessness only to be used with the most Intimate Acquaintance, among which I should be proud to rank you as one. I am your sincere Friend

My regards to all Friends.

JAS: WARREN

There is a Report that Gage is Superceded and that the Command of the Army and Government here is given to Howe.1

I In substance this letter is not unlike that printed in 1. 122, so it could hardly have been written to John Adams, to whom Warren did write on the same day.