British Forces in Boston (Winter 1774-1775)
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The British regular soldier in Boston was often hated equally by the local civilians and by their own commanders. The winter of 1774-1775 had been long and hard, and shortages of food led General Thomas Gage to put his men on salt rations. Some of their supplies of fresh water went bad that winter and stank. Many died of diseases, most likely typhus and diptheria. The one cheap commodity in Boston that winter was rum. Several regulars suffered alcohol-related deaths. Several more sold their muskets for rum, under the penalty of 500 lashes if caught. Desertion was fairly common, but much less common than might be expected considering the hardships endured by these men. Gage doubled the guards around the city, more to keep his own men in than to prevent the movements of Whigs. Whig leaders promised 300 acres (1.2 km²) in New Hampshire to any deserting soldier, but nearly all the regulars remained loyal to their fellow comrades-in-arms while hating both their commanders and the Bostonians.
The regulars bonded closely with one another and spoke their own dialect. Months of boredom in Boston were only relieved by drills twice each day. They were desperate for other duty or at least for active combat. The British Army regarded itself justifiably as the best trained fighting force on the planet, but these men were cooped up and prevented from the fighting that they'd been trained to do.
(Principle Source: Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer ISBN 0195088476)
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