I'm Mary Catherine. I'm celebrating America 250 by reading primary documents written for or by the founders for as many of the years as I can. Thank you for joining me for this mini episode of Getting Hammered. Today in 1776, Abigail Adams writes a letter to her husband in Philadelphia. Well, she starts it on March 2nd, 1776, but is anxious and repeatedly interrupted by bombing in nearby Boston.

She doesn't know it yet, but on March 2nd, she is hearing the diversionary fire on British troops

in Boston meant to distract from colonial troops, taking Colonel Henry Knox's artillery up to Dorchester

Hill. From March 2nd to 10th, Abigail Adams hears this play out from about 10 miles from Boston,

sometimes even observing the action from nearby Penn's Hill. But in today's part of the letter, she recounts

attacks on Adams' character in town by those loyal to the crown and her own thoughts on common sense

and what Congress should do. Here is Abigail to John Adams. I was greatly rejoiced at the return

of your servant to find you had safely

arrived and that you were well. I had never heard a word from you after you left New York,

and a most ridiculous story has been industriously propagated in this and the neighboring towns to

injure the cause and blast your reputation, that you and your president had gone on board a man

of war, that would be from the British

Navy, and sailed for England. I should not mention so idle a report, but that it had given

uneasiness to some of your friends. Not that they in the least credited the report, but because

the gaping vulgar, that would be, the common folk wanting rumors, swallowed the story.

One man had deserted them and proved a traitor, another might.

I assure you such high disputes took place in the public house of this parish

that some men were collared and dragged out of the shop with great threats for reporting such

scandalous lies, and an uncle of ours offered his life as forfeit for you if the report

proved true.

However, it has been a nine days marvel and will now cease.

I heartily wish every Tory was extirpated from America.

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