Revolutionary War Diary To Be Auctioned

Wed., Nov. 22, 2000

A Revolutionary War-era log soon for sale contains Gen. George Washington’s troop movements, soldiers’ ration lists and a supposed cure for love.

The diary, which faithfully details life on the battlefield, should fetch $10,000 at auction Friday, according to auctioneer John McInnis.

The anonymous journal opens on Dec. 17, 1776, with a gathering of 47 militia members south of Boston. Although its author is not known, the contents point to an assistant to Col. Solomon Lovell, perhaps Adjutant Gardner Gould because of the manuscript’s timing.

In character and composition, the journal is a jumble of official Army records and personal notes, such as the entry for Jan. 7, 1777, that starts with a weather report, continues with a lengthy recipe for healing a broken heart and then chronicles Washington’s victory at Trenton, N.J.

Dutifully listed are also the rum, soap and beef apportioned to soldiers as well as rosters including the name, rank and hometown of Massachusetts militiamen.

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Revolutionary War Diary To Be Auctioned

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