SIEGE OF BOSTON An extremely early and muster roll for General John Thomas' 2nd Massachusetts Regiment, a manuscript document, 2pp. folio, [Roxbury], [August - October] 1775 listing approximately 500 officers and men, and headed "A Muster roll of the 34th Regt. of Foot in the Service of the United Colonies 1775 ". Organized on April 23, 1775 at Roxbury, the regiment was drawn from members of the original Minutemen companies which responded to the Lexington Alarm four days earlier, and others who had come in later learning of the need for more troops to besiege Boston. The document lists "The Hon[orab]l [e] Brigadier John Thomas Eqr. Colonel" with "John Baily Esqr. Lieut Collo. Commandant. " John Thomas had been commissioned a Brigadier General on June 22, 1775 but remained in direct command of the regiment until July 1, 1775 when John Bailey was commissioned colonel. Though this would lead one to conclude that the date of the document would be late June, 1775, other returns dated as late as October, 1775 still list Bailey as Lieutenant Colonel. An examination of Massachusetts military records suggests that this list was complied in the early Autumn of 1775, though it could date as early as June 1775. Drawing its strength from northern Plymouth County, this regiment would see service throughout the entire war. Under the leadership of General John Thomas, the regiment seized and fortified the heights of Dorchester the night of March 4, 1776, allowing Henry Knox to mount cannon at that place and forcing the British evacuation a week later. The regiment remained in service throughout the war, seeing action at New York, Trenton, Princeton, Fort Stanwix, and Saratoga. It was at Saratoga as a part of Learned's Brigade that they distinguished themselves by reinforcing the left flank at Freemans' Farm and destroying the British right at Bemis Heights, forcing Burgoyne's surrender. Following Saratoga, the regiment was assigned to the main army, where it spent the winter of 1777-8 at Valley Forge and was engaged at Monmouth. They spent the remainder of the war in the Hudson Highlands. Between 1775 and 1783 the regiment underwent several name changes and consolidations. It began life as Thomas' 2nd Massachusetts Regiment ( to July 1775), Bailey's Massachusetts Regiment (July to December 1775), the 23rd Continental Regiment (1776), Bailey's Regiment (1777 to 1778), and finally, the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment until its disbandment in 1783. On the verso someone has written "From Capt. Israel Rogers effects, who died in Charlestown, Mass. T. Lassier Tuener [?] 1858 " Rogers is listed as an ensign in Captain Elijah Crocker's Company. According to Massachusetts Solders and Sailors, Rogers was commissioned ensign on May 19, 1775 and served through at least October 7, 1775. The company hailed from Marshfield and had been engaged since April 20, 1775 in response to the Lexington Alarm. A fascinating and early muster roll for the embryonic Continental Army. A wonderful piece of historical material associated with an important regiment in the Continental Army. Partial fold separation, moderate scattered foxing, light chipping to margins, otherwise very good condition  $3,000-5,000