History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1620-1890, Part 9

Author: Deyo, Simeon L., ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: New York : Blake
Number of Pages: 1292

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In March, 1776, during the most diligent action to supply the camps of war with necessary supplies, the Cape, by its peculiar topography and shoals, had another interposition of Providence by the casting ashore at Provincetown of a sloop load of the enemy's goods; these, with the transport load that was cast upon the beach the same month at Truro, went far in relieving the needs of the army. The need of coats, waistcoats and breeches was still felt, and Joseph Nye of Har- wich was appointed to procure as many as he could in Barnstable county.

July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was passed. This was hailed with joy by all the colonies, and more especially on the Cape, where public meetings had been held. in June, in which the people had pledged their property, honor and lives in its support.

Battle followed battle, and the tide of war drifted from Boston har- bor to the southwest. On the 10th of July one from every twenty- five men liable to military duty was taken from Barnstable county, and Joseph Nye of Sandwich, and Amos Knowles, jr., of Eastham were appointed by the court to make the draft. The men were or- dered to Rhode Island, and for their transportation Joseph Nye and others were appointed to purchase sixty whale boats, to be delivered at Falmouth or some convenient place on Buzzards bay. This draft

HISTORY OF BARNSTABLE COUNTY.

of men from the Cape was more severely felt than any former ones of the war, for many were engaged on the sea and were enumer- ated among those liable to do military duty.

The year 1777 opened with many privations to the people of the county. The most of the fishing vessels were rotting at the wharves; the traffic was gone. The farmer might plant, but perhaps the next draft would not leave him to harvest. But they hopefully looked to the desired result. Those at home, not only on the Cape but through- out the colonies, realized that those in the field and at Valley Forge were also enduring hardships; and the vote of the town meeting was "that the town will provide for the families of the absent." The prison-ship inhumanity of the enemy was more severe upon the resi- dents of the Cape than upon any other county, for a larger proportion were in the naval service; but to the credit of these men history does not reveal the name of one who preferred British gold or promotion to the loathsome hold. The American privateers were continually harassing the enemy by their success, having captured prior to 1777 nearly five hundred British vessels, for which the people of the Cape were entitled to great credit.

The notes of war were heard along the Atlantic coast, and early in 1777 the general court resolved to draft every seventh man in the colony to complete the required quota. This was a serious blow to this Cape, for it was ordered to make the draft from all over sixteen years of age, at home and abroad. In June of the same year eighty- eight more men were drafted from the county to proceed to Rhode Island, and August 17th still more were ordered, with field pieces, to protect Truro from the invasions threatened from British men-of-war.

The surrender of Burgoyne, October 22, 1777, caused rejoicings throughout the land, and the court set apart a day for a general thanksgiving. But the end was not yet. In April, 1778, the county of Barnstable was required to furnish seventy-two more men; Yar- mouth, fourteen; Barnstable, fifteen; Eastham and Harwich, twelve each; Sandwich, eight; Falmouth, six; Chatham, Wellfleet and Truro, five each, including officers. This had hardly passed when on June 12th this county was desired to send seventy-eight more men, also 505 each of shirts and pairs of shoes and stockings. Of these articles Barnstable furnished eighty-two of each; Yarmouth, seventy-three; Eastham, sixty-five; Harwich, sixty-four; Sandwich, fifty-five; Well- fleet, forty-five; Falmouth, forty-three; Truro, forty-two; Chatham, thirty; and Provincetown, six. The penalty for any delinquency was thirty pounds.

The drafts came so frequently that upon receipt of a letter from General Otis as to the danger of the Cape from British hordes, in which he said, " it is like dragging men from home when their houses

73.

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are on fire," the court in September ordered that "inasmuch as the militia of the county have been and continue to be greatly harassed by the appearance of the enemy's ships and the landing of troops in their vicinity, the county be excused for the present from raising men agreeably to the order of the Council." But this order of the council applied to fifty men ordered to go to Providence; those already or- dered were furnished in the best possible manner.

Among the known disasters on the sea the shipwreck of the Gen. Arnold, December 24, 1777, was one of the most distressing. This vessel mounted twenty guns, with a crew of 105 men and boys, Captain James Magee, commanding. In company with the sloop of war Revenge, of ten guns, the Gen. Arnold sailed from Boston, ordered south on duty. In the bay the vessels encountered a violent storm, and the Revenge weathered Cape Cod and was saved; but the Arnold, on December 25th, went ashore in Plymouth harbor, and nearly all her crew perished from cold. Of those on board who perished the twelve from Barnstable were: John Russell, captain of marines; Barnabas Lothrop, jr., Daniel Hall, Thomas Caseley, Ebenezer Bacon, Jesse Gar- rett, John Berry, Barnabas Howes, Stephen Bacon, Jonathan Lothrop, Barnabas Downs, jr., and Boston Crocker, a negro servant. These were all from the East parish.

Some good news was occasionally had in the shifting scenes of war, as was seen by the wreck of the British ship Somerset, which was stranded November S, on the banks at Truro. The crew of 480 men, under Colonel Hallett, were marched to Boston as prisoners of war.

In 1779, June Sth, more men were called for to re-enforce the conti- nental army, and June 21st the county was again required to supply its quota of shirts, shoes and stockings. The number of men to be drafted was eighty-seven and the number of wearing apparel was again 505. Colonel Enoch Hallett was to receive the clothing. The reader may be surprised by the frequency of these draughts for men, and the compulsion, with forfeiture, to supply wearing apparel; but with the surrender of Burgoyne the war did not close. Lord Corn- wallis was in the south with a still larger force, and the war was yet in active progress. General Sullivan's expedition against the Six Nations, the powerful confederacy of Indians of New York, was sent out this year. The levies of men from the county of Barnstable were only its quota of the whole number raised from the several colonies. That these frequent drafts were all promptly met, even in this county, could hardly be expected; but it is known that the record of the Cape towns was no exception to others of the province in this relation.

The year 1780 dawned with many depressing circumstances. The currency of the country had now depreciated to one-thirtieth of its face value, and business everywhere was greatly impeded. In May

HISTORY OF BARNSTABLE COUNTY.

of this year, 187 men and a large quantity of beef were levied upon the county. The burden of these demands, removing from the county nearly all the able-bodied men and all the beef fit for food, inay be imagined. The beef demanded was 71,280 pounds-Barnstable, 15,- 510; Sandwich, 11,120; Yarmouth, 10,090; Chatham, 3,860; Truro, 3,680; Eastham, 7,250; Harwich, 8,250; Wellfleet, 3,620; and Falmouth, 7,800. This was followed in December by a demand for 156 more men from the county-Barnstable, thirty-one; Sandwich, twenty-two; Yarmouth, twenty-four; Eastham, seventeen; Wellfleet, eight; Chat- ham, nine; Harwich, nineteen; Falmouth, seventeen; and Truro, nine. Again in December of this year, the commonwealth's proportion of spe- cific supplies for the army was 4,626,178 pounds of beef, of which Barn- stable county was to supply 136,875 pounds. In lieu of beef at £3, 7s., 6d. per cwt., grain could be substituted at the rate of seven shil- lings per bushel for rye, five shillings for corn, three shillings for oats and seven shillings for peas.

Would it surprise the reader to know that, under all these require- ments, some of the towns of the various colonies should petition for an abatement of their levies? Would it be to the discredit of the Cape towns to be compelled to seek relief? Harwich, Chatham, East- ham and Yarmouth at this time asked for an abatement of the levies, for they had not and could not procure the beef. In May, 1781, other towns followed in similar petitions, and upon the refusal of any abate- ment, found it impossible to comply. A meeting of delegates chosen for the purpose was held at Barnstable, at which Dr. John Davis was chosen to present to the general court the fact "the inequality of the burdens of the Cape seem not to have been well considered by the government heretofore; that to pay taxes equal to those more favor- ably circumstanced, and to be obliged to provide clothing in equal proportion to others, besides the needs of the families of the soldiers, was a sufficient sacrifice without being enjoined to stand side by side with agricultural towns in supplying beef for the army." But this appeal to the court was not made until the commander-in-chief had asked for another supply of beef, of which this county's quota was 56,489 pounds.

The year 1781 was a deplorable one for the whole country, and at the opening of 1782 the horizon was still darker. The condition of the continental army was distressing. Baron Steuben wrote of his command from Fishkill, May 28th: "Yesterday was the third day of our army having been without provisions. The army could not make a march of one day. The distresses have arrived at the greatest pos- sible degree." General Greene, August 13th, wrote: " For three months, more than one-third of our men, were entirely naked, with nothing but a breech-cloth about them, and never came out of their tents; and

MILITARY HISTORY.

the rest are ragged as wolves. Our condition was little better in the matter of provisions." This deplorable condition of affairs was not confined to the army; destitution was everywhere in the colonies; and in no place was it more severely felt than on the Cape. But to re- plenish the ranks of the army, so depleted by sickness and mortality, General Washington in March required one thousand five hundred men for the Massachusetts line, of which the quota for this county was thirty-six. The same month the state treasurer, having been petitioned, was directed "to recall the executions issued, and to stay future executions for two-thirds of the taxes, until further ordered."

The darkness that precedes the dawn was exemplified by the con- dition of the army and the provinces at the opening of 1783. Every department of the forces and every town of the land was in most strait- ened circumstances. But the dawn of peace-the full sunshine of lib- erty-approached; at Versailles articles had been signed which ac- knowledged the freedom and sovereignty of the colonies, and April 19th General Washington proclaimed the cessation of hostilities. The rejoicings of a happy people, after eight years of strife and suffering, may be conjectured but cannot be described.

The war cost England one hundred million pounds sterling and fifty thousand of her subjects, beside the loss of her much-coveted col- onies. The colonies furnished during the period 288,134 men, of which 83,242 were sent from Massachusetts, showing conclusively the importance of this colony in the struggle for liberty.

The destitution of the colonies, and especially of the Cape, for sev- eral years need not be recited. Not until 1790 did congress redeem the bills that had been issued to pay the soldiers and carry on the war, and then only one dollar in coin was received for one hundred dollars in bills. The collection of taxes from a people so prostrated caused difficulties, of which the so-called Shay's rebellion, in 1786, was the most important. This insurrection against the state government of Massachusetts was occasioned by the discontent of certain persons who arrayed themselves against the collection of taxes and debts. To subdue this rebellion four thousand men, under the command of Gen- eral Lincoln, were ordered into service; and then, not until a well- directed fire into their ranks, killing many, did the insurgents conclude to discontinue the unequal contest. A similar spirit of insubordina- tion was exhibited in New Hampshire. The governor of Massachu- setts, under date of November 27, 1786, issued a proclamation to the sheriff of Barnstable county, directing him to promptly suppress all indications of a rebellion against the laws, and to call upon the mili- tary for assistance. As the residents of the Cape have ever been among the most loyal to law and order, it is just to suppose that this

HISTORY OF BARNSTABLE COUNTY.

order of Governor Bowdoin was issued alike to the sheriffs of every other county of the state; and this, considering the exigency of the times, perhaps was the duty of the executive branch.

WAR OF 1812 .*- After the restoration of peace, at the conclusion of the revolutionary war, the French revolution took place and France declared war against England. This war continued from 1793 until the treaty of peace at Amiens in 1802. But this treaty was of short duration, for England became so excited by the aggressive policy of Napoleon that war was declared against France in May, 1803, and soon all the European powers were again involved in hostilities. The United States was almost the only power that preserved its neutrality. Being thus at peace with the two great nations -- England and France, a flourishing commerce, unprecedented in the history of the country, grew up in America, which produced a high degree of prosperity in the commercial portions of the United States, and Barnstable county received a remarkable touch of this new impetus given to sea going business, as a large part of its citizens were engaged in maritime pursuits.

But these favorable advantages were not long enjoyed by the citi- zens of the United States, for Napoleon, in 1806, issued the famous Berlin Decree, by which the British islands were declared to be in a state of blockade, and all commerce, intercourse and correspondence with them were prohibited. In consequence of such restrictions the commerce of the United States with England was much embarrassed, and was carried on at a risk of seizure. The British government, ag- grieved by the Berlin Decree, put forth a retaliatory measure by which American commerce received another damaging blow; to the effect that all neutral vessels trading with France should be confiscated. This order was followed by another in 1807, by which all trade in French goods and the goods of other nations with which England was at war. was entirely prohibited. Then followed an order by Napoleon called the Milan Decree, by which every vessel of whatsoever nation, that had been searched by an English vessel and had consented to be sent to England, was to be considered as a lawful prize. By such acts and measures on the part of England and France, a fatal blow was aimed at American commerce, and the course pursued by the two hostile nations was disastrous to the prosperity of this country.

The blockade of the European ports from Brest to the Elbe, de- clared by Great Britain and not maintained by an actual naval force, was by the United States government looked upon as a "paper block- ade," and therefore of no avail, and any seizure made by British ves- sels of American commerce was a palpable violation of the rights of a nation occupying a neutral position in time of war. Owing to the

* By Joshua H. Paine, Esq., of Harwich.

MILITARY HISTORY.

dangers threatened to commerce by the "decrees" of France and the " orders in council " of Great Britain, the United States government, under Jefferson, laid an embargo on all exports from the United States, the object of which was to retaliate on the position taken by France and England in relation to commercial intercourse with these two great powers of Europe. But the embargo became very unpopular and worked very disastrously to the shipping interest of this country, and in no other section was there greater suffering and prostration of business than in the maritime industries of Cape Cod.

The embargo was repealed by congress in 1809, and was followed by an act, called the "Non-intercourse law," by which all trade and intercourse with France and England were prohibited. Neither the embargo nor the non-intercourse law had any effect in causing the British government to recede from the offensive position it had taken, or France to revoke its " decrees," so fatal to American commerce. By such obstinacy on the part of both nations, and in view of the threat- ened outrages to American commerce, it was a question for some time whether to declare war against France or England, but the persistency of the British in intercepting American vessels and impressing British seamen therefrom decided the question, and war was declared against England by President Madison, June 19, 1812.

Hon. Isaiah L. Green, member of congress from the Barnstable district, voted for the act declaring war, and appears to have been sustained in so doing by the citizens of the district, as the follow- ing preamble goes to show: " Resolved that the Hon. Isaiah L. Green, our Congressional representative, has done nobly, and deserves well of his country, and that he enjoys the confidence of his constit- uents."

As a large part of the business of Cape Cod was upon the ocean, no portion of the country would be subjected to greater deprivations and inconveniences than Barnstable county by the operations of war, and the people dreaded the issue; but still they considered it just, neces- sary and unavoidable, and acquiesced in all measures of the general government in its prosecution; being ready at all times to engage in the defense of the country, both on sea and land, in order that those rights for which the war was waged might be obtained.

Soon after the news had reached England that war had been de- clared, British men-of-war began to hover around the New England coasts. All communication by water with Boston and other commer- cial ports on the New England coasts was cut off by British ships of war cruising about the bay, and when at anchor they would send out their barges to capture the small craft that might venture out in quest of fish, or those that undertook to make a passage from port to port along shore.

HISTORY OF BARNSTABLE COUNTY.

The whole of Massachusetts bay was under complete control of the British during the war, and no part of the state was more annoyed and menaced than the several towns of Barnstable county. The Spencer, of fifty-two guns, held possession of Provincetown harbor, and was considered by the people of the Cape the " Terror of the Bay." The frigate Nymph and the Bulwark, each carrying seventy-four guns, guarded the shores of the upper Cape towns and also the Plymouth coast, and proved to be quite vigilant in intercepting and destroying navigation. The admiral's ship, Majestic, lay at anchor between Truro and Provincetown, and it is said that the crew, for exercise in naval training, would practice gunnery, having for a target an old wind mill standing in Truro.

On the south shores of the Cape the Vimrod did much mischief by frequent attacks upon vessels and boats that attempted to venture out far from land, and the towns bordering on the sound were kept in constant fear and trepidation by the oft repeated threats of her com- mander to bombard and burn the " little villages by the shore."

The British privateer Retaliation, of five guns, cruised up and down the sound, and was a great annoyance to the small craft that sailed "along shore." She was finally captured by Captain Weston Jenkins, of the sloop Two Friends, while lying at anchor in Tarpaulin cove, and was brought to Falmouth as a prize of considerable value to a brave and determined crew of thirty-two men.

Notwithstanding the constant presence of British cruisers in the bay and sound, quite frequently some bold and intrepid adventurers. under the cover of night, would elude the vigilence of those armed vessels and in their little craft would succeed in reaching a distant commercial port, obtain a cargo, and return again to their place of departure in safety. The great scarcity of corn which prevailed upon the Cape during the war compelled some of the more daring captains to run the risk of being taken by the enemy, and by discreet and crafty maneuvering they would succeed in bringing a load now and then from the southern ports, and necessarily it was sold at a very high price. Several vessels and a number of large boats were, how- ever, captured and destroyed, the enemy confiscating the cargoes and setting the men found on board at liberty. The packet sloop plying between Barnstable and Boston, commanded by Captain Howes, was taken by the frigate Nymph, and with her cargo was burned. S. B. Phinney of Barnstable, then a lad of six summers, a passenger with his father, was on board at the time of the capture, but was soon set at liberty. In many instances the crews of captured vessels were held as prisoners subject to a ransom from their friends.

Commodore Raggelt, of the ship Spencer, made frequent demands upon several of the Cape towns for payments of certain sums of money

MILITARY HISTORY.

to secure exemption from an attack, and to prevent the destruction of property. The town of Brewster, being so harassed and threatened by the enemy, paid four thousand dollars, the sum demanded. East- ham paid one thousand dollars, but the other towns positively refused to make any contributions. The people were determined to defend the towns to the last extremity. Military companies were formed in all parts of the county, and were in readiness at all times to march to any point where the enemy might attempt to land. Committees of safety were appointed in the most exposed towns, the duties of which were to watch the movements of the British cruisers in the bay and report at headquarters whenever any hostile demonstrations were made. Alarm posts were established in all the towns, and a code of signals fixed upon to give warning to the militia and "yeomanry of the land " whenever the enemy appeared in view. Sentinels were de- tached from the several companies to guard the shores.

In view of the exposed situation of the Cape to the depredations of the enemy, frequent appeals were made to the state government for a supply of artillery and other munitions of war. Collector Green of the port of Barnstable, asked for a detachment of flying artillery and a sup- ply of military stores, and Simeon Kingman, Esq., of Orleans, acting as an agent of the town, went to Boston bearing a proposition, the substance of which was that an artillery company would be formed if the gov- ernment would furnish the necessary equipments. Both gentlemen were unsuccessful in their efforts to obtain assistance from the state, and it became very apparent that the Cape must furnish its own pro- tection, although Governor Strong, in his speech before the state sen- ate and house of representatives, October 14, 1812, says: " We have in this state several hundred miles of sea-coasts and more than one hun- dred of the towns may be approached by the enemy's ships. * * * It will be necessary that the whole militia should be armed and equipped in the best possible manner and ready to march at the short- est possible notice, and in case of invasion, that arms should be in read- iness for every man who is able to bear them."

Not a large number enlisted to join the army on the northern frontier from the Cape. Their services were required in protect- ing their own homes. During the continuance of the war the cit- izens of Barnstable county able to bear arms were constantly on the look-out, ready to spring to their guns whenever the alarm was given of a threatened invasion, and they might with propriety be called "minute men," so ready and determined were they to beat back the invading foe.

In the spring of 1813, Lieutenant Proctor opened a recruiting office in Harwich, and a number enlisted from that and adjoining towns to join the army in the vicinity of the Lakes. On the fifth

HISTORY OF BARNSTABLE COUNTY.

of April, 1813, they departed for the seat of war on the northern frontier. Great were the hardships and sufferings they endured on their long march through the then unsettled portions of Massachu- setts and New York. They joined the forces under General Brown and were in the battles of Sackett's Harbor, Lunday's Lane, Fort Erie and Bridgewater.

A number of men from the Cape entered the navy and did valiant service. Two of the crew of the United States frigate Constitution were Harwich men, when she captured the British frigate Guerriere.

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History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1620-1890, Part 9

Author: Deyo, Simeon L., ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: New York : Blake Number of Pages: 1292

Author: Deyo, Simeon L., ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: New York : Blake
Number of Pages: 1292