Life of George Washington - v. 2 Author:Washington Irving Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. OBJECT IN DISTRESSING BOSTON — SCARCITY AND SICKNESS IN THE TOWN — A STARTLING DISCOVERY — SCARCITY OF POWDER IN THE CAMP - ITS PERILODS SITDATIO... more »N - ECONOMY OF AMMUNITION - CORKESFOXDENCE BETWEEN LEE AND BUKGOYNE - CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND GAGE - THE DIGNITY OF THE PATRIOT ARMY ASSERTED. The great object of Washington at present, was to force the enemy to come out of Boston and try a decisive action. His lines had for some time cut off all communication of the town with the country, and he had caused the live stock within a considerable distance of the place to be driven back from the coast, out of reach of the men-of-war's boats. Fresh provisions and vegetables were consequently growing more and more scarce and extravagantly dear, and sickness began to prevail. " I have done and shall do every thing in my power to distress them," writes he to his brother John Augustine. " The transports have all arrived, and their whole reinforcement is landed, so that I see no reason why they should not, if they ever attempt it, come boldly out and put the matter to issue at once." " We are in the strangest state in the world," writes a lady from Boston, " surrounded on all sides. The whole country is in arms and intrenched. We are deprived of fresh provisions, 17T50 SCAKCITT OF POWDER. 23 subject to continual alarms and cannonading?, the Provincials being very audacious and advancing to our lines, since the arrival of Generals Washington and Lee to command them." At this critical juncture, when Washington was pressing the siege, and endeavoring to provoke a general action, a startling fact came to light; the whole amount of powder in the camp would not furnish more than nine cartridges to a man! A gross error had been made by the committee of supp...« less