On Sabbath of the 17th instant, the British army in Boston, under General Howe, consisting of upwards of 7000 men, after suffering an ignominous blockade for near eleven months past, disgracefully quitted all their strong holds in Boston and Charlestown, fled from before the army of the United Colonies and took refuge on board their ships. The most material particulars of this signal' event areas follows: ー About 9 o'clock a body of the enemy were seen to march from Bunker's Hill, and at the same time a very great number of boats, filled with troops, put off from Boston, and made for the shipping which mostly lay below the Castle. On the first discovery of these movements, the Continental army immediately paraded several regiments embarked in boats and proceeded down the river from Cambridge. About the same time two men were sent to Bunker's Hill, in order to make discoveries. They proceeded accordingly, and when arrived, making a signal that the fort was evacuated, a detachment was immediately sent down from the army to take possession of it. The troops in the river, which were commanded by General [Israel] Putnam, landed at Sewell's Point; where they received intelligence that all the Bridsh troops had left Boston, on which a detachment was sent to take possession of the town, while the main body returned up the river. About the same time General [Artemas] Ward, attended by about 500 troops from Roxbury, under the command of Colonel Ebenezer Learned, (who unbarr'd and opened the gates) enter'd the town on that quarter, Ensign [Samuel] Richards . carrying the Standard. The command of the whole being then given to General Putnam, he proceeded to take possession of all the important posts, and thereby became possessed in the name of the Thirteen United Colonies of North America, of all the fortresses in that large and once populous and flourishing metropolis, which the flower of the British army, headed. by an experienced General, and supported by a formidable fleet of men of war, had, but an hour before, evacuated in the most precipitate and cowardly manner. ...
The enemy, previous to their going off, scattered great numbers of crow's feet on Boston Neck and in the streets, in order to retard our troops in case of a pursuit; and with such silence and precaution did they embark, that a great part of the inhabitants did not know it 'till after they were gone. ー Mr.James Lovell, who was long confined in goal, was cruelly carried off in irons, together with the prisoners that were taken at Bunker's Hill &c.
Tuesday evening [March 19] the enemy set fire to the block house and barracks at the Castle, and Wednesday they were employed at the same place in blowing up and demolishing the fortifications.
Two vessel arrived at Portsmouth the beginning of last week, and brought in six tons of gunpowder.