A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

^:1745.] THE GRAND BATTERY ABANDONED. 99nor smoke from the barrack chimneys. One of hisparty was a Caj)e Cod Indian. Vaughan bribed himwith a flask of brandy which he had in his pocket,— though, as the clerical historian takes pains toassure us, he never used it himself,— and the Indian,pretending to be drunk, or, as some say, mad, staggeredtowards the battery to reconnoitre. ^ All wasquiet. He clambered in at an embrasure, and foundthe place empty. The rest of the party followed,and one of them, William Tufts, of Medford, a boyof eighteen, climbed the flagstaff, holding in liis teethhis red coat, which he made fast at the top, as a substitutefor the British flag, — a proceeding that drewupon him a volley ofthe town batteries.Vaughan then sent thisunsuccessful cannon-shot fromhasty note to Pepperrell" May it please your Honour to be informed that bythe grace of God and the courage of 13 men, I enteredthe Royal Battery about 9 o'clock, and am waitingfor a reinforcement and a flag." Soon after, fourboats, filled with men, approached from the town toreoccupy the battery, — no doubt in order to savethe munitions and stores, and complete the destructionof the cannon. Vaughan and his thirteen men,standing on the open beach, under the fire of thetown and the Island Battery, plied the boats with1 Belknap, ii.2 John Langdon Sibley, in N. E. Hist, and Gen. Register, xxv.377. The Boston Gazette of 3 June, 1771, has a notice of Tufts'recent death, with an exaggerated account of his exploit, and anappeal for aid to his destitute family.