History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

264 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON. [1755.
Saturday,' 9^'\ A fair day. Many hands at labor, cutting
timber and drawing it for our fort. This day I made
me a bedstead and lodged in it at night ; wrote a letter
home in the evening which was my 5^'\
Sabbath day, August 10, 1755. A fair day. Mr. Williams
preached both fore and afternoon and a number of hands
at work at the fort. Two men were sent this morning to
Albany. A scout this day who came in who went last Friday
for the drowned lands, but did not [reach] their designed
place. Made but little discovery of the enemy.
Monday, 11. A fair day. Several scouts came in, made
no discovery, a small number of men went down the river
fishing and hunting, and brought in one deer, and about 30
large fish, some as big as a cod and much the same sort of
flesh both in looks and taste.
Tuesday, 12, A fair day. About 300 men sent towards
Fort Ann to repair the roads. A considerable number of
our army not well, the common illness that attends armies,
but none died. Many have recovered that have been sick.
Wednesday, 13 Aug. A fair hot day and we finished the
timber work of our store house which is in the form of an
L, 70 feet one way and 4:0 the other, 150 feet wide at the
north end of it. A guard house 30 feet in length 15 in
breadth with a mount upon the north end of it, the roofs
of the whole sheds inwards ; upon the outside about 12 feet
high, in two stories are loop holes to fire out of. A mount
at the west corner of the river bank enclosed from the west
end of the store house to the mount with stockades, from
the northwardly end straight to the bank of the river with
the same, and on the river bank to the aforesaid mount at
the west end, so enclosed about half an acre of land.
Thursday, 14. A fair day. This day General Johnson
came to the carrying place at the entrance to our camp.
We fired our two field pieces, and aided him into the fort
by an intervail of the army.
Friday, 15. The forenoon fair, the afternoon showery.
A council sat in the forenoon and agreed to send for 400
men to New York, Connecticut 500 and Massachusetts 500
all of which we have ordered to raise the above said number
of men in case they are needed.
Saturday, IG. A cloudy day. A post was this day sent
;