LETTERS
OF
JOHN ANDREWS, ESQ., OF BOSTON.
1772-1776.
Compiled and edited from the original MSS. by Winthrop Sargent, for the
Massachusetts Historical Society.
INTRODUCTION.
During the year 1859, Captain George Gibson, jun.,[1] of the United-States Army, being stationed at the United-States arsenal on the Schuylkill, Philadelphia, discovered a number of
- The attention of the President of this Society was called to these Andrews letters
in September, 1864, by the following communication: —
(Cop}-.) Residence of Mr. Geo. Barnard,
Lynn, Massachusetts, Sept. 17th, 1864. Dear Sir, — At the request of my friend, Mr. Barnard, I take the liberty of address- ing you in relation to some correspondence discovered by me in a garret room at Schuylkill Arsenal, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the year 1859.
It consisted of a quantity of letters, written by one Joseph Andrews, of Boston, to William Barrell, a merchant of Philadelphia, describing the arrival and occupation of the former city by the British; the daily street-fights that took place between the citizens and the soldiery; the primary meeting and destruction of the tea in the harbor by the inhabitants, dressed as Indians; the battles at Lexington and Breed's Hill; in fact, many circumstances not known to history, and of which the writer was an eye- witness. Being a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, I mentioned the existence of these papers to Joshua Francis Fisher, Esq., our Vice-President, who resides on Walnut Street, between Ninth and Tenth, Philadelphia. At his request, I placed them in his possession, he being desirous of having them annotated by an aged member of the Society, Mr. Samuel Breck (since deceased), who claimed in some way to be connected with the writer, Joseph Andrews. Shortly after this, I was or- dered to Washington; consequently am unable to say whether any thing was done in the matter or not.
My impression now is that they should more appropriately belong to the Historical Society of Massachusetts; and I have every reason to believe that Mr. Fisher would gladly place them in the possession of its members upon being written to. I have the honor to be, dear sir,
with great respect, your obedient servant, Geo. Gibson. Captain 11th U. S. Regular Infantry. Hon. R. C. Winthrop,
President of the Historical Society of Massachusetts.
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