The history of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, By a committee of the Dorchester antiquarian and historical society ...

310 HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
a number of soldiers enlisted in this expedition from
Dorchester, and a great part of the 3,000 from Massachusetts went from this vicinity. Although but
few fell in battle, yet a large number died of a fever
contracted after the victory. Blake, from whom this
is principally gathered, says, " most that went from
hereabouts that I knew, either died there, or in their
passage home, or soon after they came home;'tis
said there died of our New England forces about
1,500 men."
1746. For several years, about this time, the colony was much distressed on account of the great
draft made upon it for men and money. These were
required, not only to carry on the expedition above
named, but to defend the frontier from the many incursions of the Indians, and also the country this year
against the French fleet and army, consisting, as
Blake says, " of about 30 Men of War and 67 Transports, besides Land Forces, Forty thousand Arms, 25
Mortars, 50 Brass Field Pieces, &c. Many," he
adds, " and I suppose ye greatest part of them, arrived at Jebucta in Nova Scotia, about ye middle of
September, having set sail from Rochel or Rochford
June y 11lth." There were no less than 8,000 disciplined troops on board, and these were there to be
joined, he says, by other troops, and the whole armament was expected to make an attack upon the
northern English colonies. Much terror was very
naturally felt by the people in and around Boston,
and works of defence were actively engaged in, and,
as Blake says, "prosecuted even on the Sabbath
Days." About one half of the militia of the country