To Rendezvous Bill as follows:
| 1781 Aug. | 8-12 | to | 11 | Bowls punch at 3-1 Bowl tod. at 1-3 | 1.14.3 |
| 14 | to | 8 | bowls punch 1 bowl chery tod. at 1-9 | 1. 5.9 | |
| 20 | to | 6 | bowls punch 8 Bowls Chery tod. 2 Grog | 1.14.6 | |
| 22 | to | 7 | bowls punch 7 bowls Chery tod. | 1.13.3 | |
| 30 | to | 14 | Bowls punch 8 bowls Chery tod. and 2½ Grog | 2.19.1 | |
| Sept. | 4 | to | 7 | Bowls punch 10 bowls chery 3 Grog | 2.13.9 |
| 6 | to | 10 | bowls punch 1 bowl chery tod. 2 grog | 1.14.3 | |
| 10 | to | 4½ | bowls punch | 1. 2.6 |
There were stout heads as well as stout hearts in New England during those gallant days and it is safe to say that the crew of the Sturdy Beggar was little the worse for wear after the farewell rounds of punch, grog and “chery tod.” at the rendezvous ruled by mine host, Jonathan Archer. It was to be charged against privateering that it drew away from the naval service the best class of recruits.
An eye witness, Ebenezer Fox of Roxbury, wrote this account of the putting an armed State ship into commission in 1780:
“The coast was lined with British cruisers which had almost annihilated our commerce. The State of Massachusetts judged it expedient to build a gun vessel, rated as a twenty-gun ship, named Protector,[9] commanded by Captain John Foster Williams, to be fitted as soon as possible and sent to sea. A rendezvous was established for recruits at the head of Hancock’s Wharf (Boston) where the National flag, then bearing thirteen stars and stripes, was hoisted.
“All means were resorted to which ingenuity could devise to induce men to enlist. A recruiting officer bearing a flag and attended by a band of martial music paraded the streets, to excite a thirst for glory and a spirit of military ambition. The recruiting officer possessed the qualifications requisite to make the service alluring, especially to the young. He was a jovial, good-natured fellow, of ready wit and much broad humor. Crowds followed in his wake, and he occasionally stopped at the corners to harangue the multitude in order to excite their patriotism. When he espied any large boys among the idle crowd crowded around him he would attract their attention by singing in a comical manner:
“‘All you that have bad Masters,
And cannot get your due,
Come, come, my brave boys
And join our ship’s crew.’