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Brown & DeBerniere, British Spies in Sudbury

I put this map, Roxbury to Concord, Roads and Distances, 1775, in my book on Historical Maps of Sudbury, MA. It is a wonderful and curious map. As we come up to 250 years later, it is worth a closer look!.

There are several good stories about the map. Start with this one from the Library of Congress, who keep the map. And a more local perspective from the NPS Minuteman Park, and Baahston Marathon Day,

Leaving Boston in a hurry on Evacuation Day in 1776, Ensign De Berniere left several papers that were then publsihed as General Gage's Instructions and a curious narrative. These are quoted here.

General Gage’s Instructions To Captain Brown and Ensign D'Berniere,
Boston, February 22, 1775.
" You will go through the counties of Suffolk and Worcester, taking a sketch of the country as you pass; it is not expected you should make out regular plans and surveys, but mark out the roads and distances from town to town, as also the situation and nature of the country; all passes must be particularly laid down, noticing the length and breadth of them, the entrance in and going out of them, and whether to be avoided by taking other routes." (full text)

   February 1775.
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
19 20 21 22 23 24 25  
29 30 31  1  2  3  4

Wednesday, March 1st, starting from the Golden Ball in Weston.
"- At two o'clock it ceased snowing a little, and we resolved to set off for Marlborough, which was about sixteen miles off; we found the roads very bad, every step up to our ankles ; we passed through Sudbury, a very large village, near a mile long, the causeway lies across a great swamp, or overflowing of the river Sudbury, and commanded by a high ground on the opposite side; nobody took the least notice of us until we arrived within three miles of Marlborough, (it was snowing hard all the while) when a horseman overtook us and asked us from whence we came, we said from Weston."

Thursday, March 2nd, having left Marlborough abruptly at 10:30PM after being warned of impending danger.
"we got without being perceived, as far as the hills that command the causeway at Sudbury, and went into a little wood where we eat a bit of bread that we took from Mr. Barnes's, and eat a little snow to wash it down. -- After that we proceeded about one hun- dred yards, when a man came out of a house and said those words to Capt. Brown, "What do you think will become of you now," which startled us a good deal, thinking we were betrayed. -- We resolved to push on at all hazards, but expected to be attacked on the causeway ; however we met no body there, so began to think it was resolved to stop us in Sudbury, which town we entered when we passed the causeway ; about a quarter of a mile in the town we met three or four horsemen, from whom we expected a few shot, when we came nigh they opened to the right and left and quite crossed the road, howe- ver they let us pass through them without taking any no- tice, their opening being only chance ; but our appre- hensions made us interpret every thing against us. -- At last we arrived at our friend Jones's again, very much fatigued, after walking thirty-two miles between two o'clock and half-after ten at night, through a road that every step we sunk up to the ankles, and it blowing and drifting snow all the way."

The long causeway commanded by a high ground is now Rte 27.

J.L. Bell has a blog called Boston 1775 with stories about the spies stay at the Golden Ball, thoughts about map, Ensign Henry DeBerniere, and Capt. William Browne.

Brown & DeBerniere probably took Old Connecticut Path twixt Weston & Framingham on 2/24 and 2/28. That went thru Sudbury at the time, as the town did not split until 1780. More: evolution of town bounds.

2024-08-14 <> jch.com/history/250/BrownDeBerniere.html<> jch