PREFACE. THE following diary, kept by Lieutenant Paul Lunt, of Newbury-. port, during a part of the Revolutionary War, came into my possession for a short time, through the kindness of the Hon. George Lunt, of this city. Extracts from it were read at the meeting of the Massachusetts Historical Society, for February, 1872, and it is published in full in their Proceedings of that date. A small edition is now printed from the forms used at that time. The spelling and punctuation have been made to conform to modern usage; and a change in the arrangement of some of the dates has also been made for the sake of uniformity. With these exceptions the diary is printed as it was written. For the following sketch of the writer I am indebted to Mr. Lunt. Paul Lunt was a descendant of Henry Lunt, one of the original settlers of the town of Newbury, in the year 1635. His descendants still occupy the farm in Newbury (Oldtown) on which he resided. He was a first lieutenant of the company commanded by his kinsman, Ezra Lunt, at Bunker Hill. Of this company, one of the historians of Newburyport, Mrs. E. Vale Smith, says: "The Rev. Jonathan Parsons having made an appeal at the close of one of his sermons, in which he called on his hearers to form volunteer companies, and invited those to walk out into the broad aisle who would do so, Mr. Ezra Lunt was the first to do so; and a volunteer company was immediately formed, with Ezra Lunt as captain. His was the first volunteer company formed for the purpose of joining the continental army." The same historian, writing of the final retreat of our troops from the redoubt on Bunker Hill, says: "Captain Ezra Lunt's company was ordered up to cover the retreat of these exhausted troops, whose ammunition was now all expended. His company did good service, and, with aid of others forming this devoted rear guard, effectually kept the enemy at bay till the retreat was accomplished; but many of them were killed or wounded." Paul Lunt, however, escaped injury, and afterward, as an officer, joined Arnold's famous expedition for the siege of Quebec, which sailed from Newburyport in September, 1775, for the Kennebec. Of his subsequent history nothing is known by the writer of this introduction, except that he returned to Newbury and resumed his occupation as a farmer at the old place, where he died in 1824. S. A. G. PAUL LUNT'S BOOK. NEWBURYPORT, May 10, 1775. A JOURNAL OF TRAVELS FROM NEWBURYPORT TO CAMBRIDGE AND IN THE CAMP. Wednesday, May 10, 1775.- Marched from Newburyport with sixty men at eleven o'clock, Captain Ezra Lunt commander; marched to Rowley, took some refreshments; marched to Ipswich, Treadwell's, supped and lodged. Thursday, 11th. Fast day. Marched to Putnam's to breakfast; heard Mr. Hitchcock preach forenoon from Psalm lvi. 3; marched to Newell's, supped on salmon and lodged. Friday, 12th. Arrived at Cambridge [at] eleven o'clock, quartered in John Bolin's house; took refreshment, supped, and lodged at Steadman's. Monday, 15th.-Marched to parade, returned, supped and lodged in quarters. At twelve o'clock at night alarmed by a report that the British troops were landing; paraded the first in the camp, but soon found the report to be false; returned to quarters. Tuesday, 16th.-Captain Lunt and twenty-four men went on guard. Wednesday, 17th. - Paraded at two o'clock; marched near Lechmere's Point, where some of our guard fired at a barge, killed two of them [and] wounded one. They returned the fire, but did no damage. At nine o'clock at night a fire broke out in Boston on Treat's Wharf in the soldiers' barracks, by delivering out some cartridges; blowed up one soldier and burnt a number of warehouses. Thursday, 18th. - Rode to Roxbury in company with Rev. Mr. Parsons and Captain Lunt. Friday, 19th. Went on guard at Mrs. Inman's with twenty-four men; moved from Bolan's to Mr. Wigglesworth's. Relieved from guard, Saturday, 20th, [at] nine o'clock. Sunday, 21st. Went to meeting. Monday, 22d. Wind at N.E., stormy. Nine men went on guard. Tuesday, 23d.-Marched to parade, then returned to quarters. Wednesday, 24th. Went [to] Charlestown. Captain Lunt re turned. |