Carl Smith Diary

March 8, 1769
I’m a male and my original name is Carl Smith my friends call me CS. My age is 23 years old. I’m from Virginia and during the last years I have been traveling around the 13 colonies to fight the British soldiers. My ancestors came to the “New World” because they wanted to be free and not wanting to anyone controlling them. I’m single, that is the reason why I joined the American Army over 6 Months ago is because I was unable to get a job that I wanted was unable to received my diploma, because I was unable to afford the stamp to be stamped on the certificate. Eighteenth century officers were hardly professionals in the modern sense of the word, for they might well first enter the service as mere boys through inheritance or purchase
of a commission, except for technical specialists in artillery and engineering, they were not required to attend a military school to train for their duties . and, I joined the army because I was tired of all these decisions the British government took for us because we had no authority for example I was tired of the Kings’ unacceptable taxes over some items for example the stamp act. The stamp act was a tax put it to every official document, the list included Contracts, liquor licenses, newspapers, almanacs, and playing cards. Important people such as colonial lawyers and printers had to purchase these stamps. After all the sales the colony would take a good amount of money from all the stamps they sell. This new revenue was to collect money from the different colonies in the U.S. This tariff it was supposedly used to protect the British colonies, but in reality it was used to pay the national debt that the Seven Years war left to Great Britain . In consequence I decided to join the American Army, I have participated in The Boston Massacre, The Battle of Lexington and Concord, and the battle of Trenton.
July 2nd 1769 5 Years ago I remember how I was excited for my graduation. I remember when I arrived to the ceremony, and received the saddest news of my life. I was unable to received my graduation certificate cannot graduate I did not paid then stamp the diploma had to get in order to be a certified document. This act was act that This “Act” it is supposedly to pay the British for the security of our colonies, but it was not used for that. It was used to pay the national debt the British had after the Seven Years War. For the consequence of not paying I did not received my diploma and I can work in no place. I have decided to join the American Army, because it is the only place I
Could join if I had any diploma. Joining the Army would be a great idea because it will help me fight to protect colony of Boston.
March 5, 1770 Today, after battles around the 21 hrs four young boys attacked two British soldiers. When a soldier felt harassed struck a boy with his rifle butt, angry witnesses pelted the guard with snowballs. After this incident about a dozen of sailors and colonists marched into the Customs House to fight the British soldiers, their leader was Corpus attacks. On Monday night about 8 o'clock two soldiers were attacked and beat. But the party of the townspeople in order to carry matters to the utmost length, broke into two meeting houses and rang the alarm bells, which I supposed was for fire as usual, but was soon undeceived. About 9 some of the guard came to and informed me the town inhabitants were assembling to attack the troops.
March 6, 1770
Dear Family I have travel from Virginia to Boston, things are getting worse.
Last night was a battle that lasted a little less than 10 minutes. Young boys decided to attack 2 British soldiers outside the customs house with snowballs. The British soldiers did not liked the attack and they started to shoot. We decided to gather up and to start to fight with the British soldiers, the people around the town called it the Boston massacre. It did not was a massacre only about 5 people were killed in the battle. On Monday evening, the 5th instant, March, 1770, being at the south part of town between the hours of nine and ten o’clock, I heard the bells in the centre of town ring, and fire cried, ran immediately for King Street, where I supposed it was, and to my great astonishment, I saw a number of soldiers with presented bayonets, commanded be an officer whom I did not then know; the soldiers formed a semicircle round the sentinel box to the Customhouse door—I went immediately up to them, and spoke to the fourth man from the corner, who stood in the gutter, and asked him if the soldiers were loaded, he replied Yes! I then asked if they intended to fire, was answered positively, “Yes! By Eternal God!” Then I looked round to see what number of inhabitants were in the street, and computed them to be about fifty, who were then going off as soon as possible; at the same time I observed a tall man standing on my left hand, who seemed not apprehensive of the danger he was in, and before I had time to speak to him, I heard the word “Fire!” and immediately the report followed, the man on my left dropped. I asked him if he was hurt, but received no answer, I then stooped down and saw him gasping and struggling with death. I then saw another laying dead on my right, but further up the street. I then saw the soldiers loading again, and ran up the street to get some assistance to carry off the dead and
wounded….
Love you,
Carl smith

May 1775
Today the second continental congress took place in Phidalphia. Everyone was enthusiasm. The delegates from each colony were ready to put the colonies on war with the British army. The delegated order the New York colony to build a fort and also payed a dozen of companies to send riflemen to surround Boston. The Riffle Men created an Army Department under the command of the New York aristocrat, General Philip Schuler, and approved an issue of $2 million to fund the military buildup .