1776: "Have Been On The March Ever Since"
Lieutenant Joseph Hodgkins helped form and lead the Ipswich Company from Massachusetts. This letter to his wife Sarah details the march to join Washington's Army near the Delaware River and includes news of General Charles Lee's capture.
Buckingham in Pennsylvania. December 20, ’76.
Loving wife, these lines come with my most affectionate regard to you, hoping they will find you & all friends in as good health as they leave me at this time through the goodness of God, though we are very much fatigued with long marches. Have been on march ever since ye [the] 29th of last month and we are now within 10 or 12 miles of General Washington’s army. We expect to be there tonight. The enemy are on one side of the Delaware River, and our army on the other about 20 miles from Philadelphia. We passed over the Delaware River last Sunday, 40 or 50 miles above headquarters, on account of the enemy trying to intercept our crossing, but I can’t give you but a very poor account of our march.
Doubtless you will want to hear how General Lee was taken. General Lee was invited by a gentleman to put up with him that night, and whether that man or another informed the enemy I can’t say, but somebody did. So about 50 of the light horses came ye [the] next morning and surrounded the house. The guard was some way off, so they did but little good. ye [The] General was five miles from where the army camped that night. We have marched since we came from Phillips Manner about 200 miles. The greatest part of the way was dangerous by reason of the enemy being near, and not only so but the country is full of them cursed creatures called Tories.
My dear, I hope I shall live to get home. But I do not know when, for the passing is difficult at this season of the year. But I expect to lay my head to the eastward in about a fortnight. We have had extraordinary weather, but now it is a snowstorm.
P.S. Give my duty to all my parents & love to all friends. I left Thomas at Peekskill, so I expect he will be at home before I shall. Jonathan Wells is with us. He desires that if you see his wife to let her know that he is well & expects to get home by the last of January.
Source:
The Letters of Joseph Hodgkins and Sarah Perkins Hodgkins. Historic Ipswich online: https://historicipswich.net/the-letters-of-joseph-hodgkins-and-sarah-perkins-hodgkins/
