The nature of the country to be particularly noticed, whether inclosed or open; if the former, what kind of inclosures, and whether the country admits of making roads for troops on the right or left of the main road, or on the sides.
You will notice the situation of the towns and villages, their churches and church-yards, whether they are advantageous spots to take post in, and capable of being made defencible.
If any places strike you as proper for encampments, or appear strong by nature, you will remark them particularly, and give reasons for your opinions.
It would be useful if you cou'd inform yourselves of the necessaries their different counties could supply, such as provisions, forage, straw, &c. the number of cattle, horses, &c. in the several townships.
_To Capt._ Brown _52d regiment, and } Ensign_ D'Berniere _10th regiment_. }
The latter end of _February_ 1775, Capt. _Brown_ and myself, received orders to go through the counties of _Suffolk_ and _Worcester_, and sketch the roads as we went, for the information of Gen. _Gage_, as he expected to have occasion to march troops through that country the ensuing spring.
We set out from _Boston_ on Thursday, disguised like countrymen, in brown cloaths and reddish handkerchiefs round our necks; at the ferry of _Charlestown_, we met a sentry of the 52d regiment, but Capt. _Brown's_ servant, whom we took along with us, bid him not take any notice of us, so that we passed unknown to _Charlestown_. From that we went to _Cambridge_, a pretty town, with a college built of brick, the ground is entirely level on which the town stands. We next went to _Watertown_, and were not suspected, it is a pretty large town for _America_, but would be looked upon as a village in _England_; a little out of this town we went into a tavern, a Mr. _Brewer_'s, a whig, we called for dinner, which was brought in by a black woman, at first she was very civil, but afterwards began to eye us very attentively; she then went out and a little after returned, when we observed to her that it was a very fine country, upon which she answered so it is, and we have got brave fellows to defend it, and if you go up any higher you will find it so--This disconcerted us a good deal, and we imagined she knew us from our papers which we took out before her, as the General had told us to pass for surveyors; however, we resolved not to sleep there that night, as we had intended, accordingly we paid our bill which amounted to two pounds odd shillings, but in was old tenor. After we had left the house we enquired of _John_, our servant, what she had said, he told us that she knew Capt. _Brown_ very well, that she had seen him five years before at _Boston_, and knew him to be an officer, and that she was sure I was one also, and told _John_ that he was a regular--he denied it; but she said she knew our errant was to take a plan of the country; that she had seen the river and road through _Charlestown_ on the paper; she also advised him to tell us not to go any higher, for if we did we should meet with very bad usage: Upon this we called a council, and agreed that if we went back we should appear very foolish, as we had a great number of enemies in town, because the General had chose to employ us in preference to them; it was absolutely necessary to push on to _Worcester_, and run all risk rather than go back until we were forced.--Accordingly we continued our rout and went about six miles further; we met a country fellow driving a team, and a fellow with him whom we suspected to be a deserter; they both seemed very desirous to join company with us and told us, upon our saying we were going towards _Worcester_, that they were going our way: As we began to suspect something we stopped at a tavern at the sign of the golden-ball, with an intention to get a drink and so proceed; but upon our going in the landlord pleased us so much, as he was not inquisitive, that we resolved to lye there that night; so we ordered some fire to be made in the room we were in, and a little after to get us some coffee; he told us we might have what we pleased, either tea or coffee. We immediately found out with whom we were, and were not a little pleased to find, on some conversation, that he was a friend to government; he told us that he had been very ill-used by them some time before; but that since he had shewed them that he was not to be bullied, they had left him pretty quiet.--We then asked him for the inns that were on the road between his house and _Worcester_, he recommended us to two, one at about nine miles from his house, a Mr. _Buckminster_'s, and another at _Worcester_, a namesake of his own, a Mr. _Jones_.