The captain motioned and said, “The dragoons are in the white canvas headquarters tent directly behind the farmhouse. They have water for your horses.”

As we picked up the saddlebags and walked into the farmhouse, Captain Febiger said, “The meeting starts in fifteen minutes. As I walked out on the porch, Colonel Arnold and ­Captain Morgan were talking and you were the subject of their conversation.”

During the hour-long meeting, I was asked to report on what Captain O’Brien told me about how long it might be before we could sail. I could see from the expression on his face Captain Morgan was very upset.

The only ones in the meeting happy about our delayed departure were Lieutenant Colonel Greene and his deputy, Major Bigelow. The fifty-seven infantrymen given passes to visit their families in the vicinity of Newburyport were to have returned to the encampment before dark on Friday, September 15th. Only four were back in camp.

At the close of the meeting, Colonel Arnold announced, “According to Ensign Newman’s report, Captain O’Brien wants us to move our wagons to the wharf as soon as possible because they will take the longest to load when we embark. As soon as the fog lifts sufficiently, the wagons will proceed from here to where Captain O’Brien directs. Two dragoons will escort and post guard on each wagon and its contents until we deploy for Maine. The officer in charge of this movement is Ensign Newman.”

Hearing this, I looked at Captain Morgan who responded with a very subtle nod of his head.

Colonel Arnold concluded, “One final note, if we are still here tomorrow night, we have been invited to dine with Mr. Nathanael Tracy and his wife at their beautiful home in Newburyport. Mr. Tracy is Chairman of the local secret Sons of Liberty Committee. It is he who arranged for the ships which will take us to Maine.”

At 3:00 p.m., a slight northeast breeze dissipated enough of the fog to see about a half mile. 1st Lt. Humphrey and I agreed we should take the opportunity to move the wagons. He set out to inform the teamsters to harness up their draft teams and I sought out Sgt. Cady and told him we would be leaving in a quarter hour with the ten dragoons he chose to escort and post watch on the wagons. He bellowed, “Dragoon detachment! In fifteen minutes, be saddled and mounted!”

By 5:30 p.m. the five wagons were lined up on the wharf abreast Machias Liberty. The draft horses were all in a paddock with plenty of hay and water behind the barn where the dragoon horses are stabled.

Each wagon is being guarded by a dragoon while his relief rests until he takes over the watch at midnight. I repaired back to my room at Wolfe’s Tavern.

Newburyport, Massachusetts

Sunday, September 17th, 1775