History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 16

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1818

USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 16

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"The prisoners taken stated, when they were re- leased, that the troops which landed on the east side were delayed some hours, in consequence of their light-horse and artillery becoming entangled in a marsh which lay at the head of the cove when they landed. This accounts for their delay in making an attack upon the fort.

" On the night following the general attack, a num- ber of barges were discovered coming up the river, which were fired upon and driven back by the force which by this time had assembled at Fairhaven, a detachment having, I think, arrived from Howland's Ferry, and a body of militia from Middleborough, making several hundred. It was supposed that their object was plunder, and that the expedition was not ordered by any of the general officers.

NEW BEDFORD.

" I returned to the fort in two or three days, as did the rest of the garrison.

" William Tallman's father was taken prisoner. Several prisoners were taken at Acushnet village.

" The American prisoners, on their return, reported that the whole force of the British was about five thousand five hundred. This, it is presumed, included the number composing the crew of the several vessels.

" The detachment on the west side must have nearly reached the Head of the River before the fort was evacuated. Both detachments had artillery, and I think light horse.

"Obed Cushman was here with the militia next day ; says he was in the sloop 'Providence' awhile, all cut to pieces during her last cruise.

" Isaac Howland stated his loss in shipping to be six thousand dollars."

John Gilbert's Account .- " On the 5th of September, 1778, in the afternoon, the British fleet arrived off Clarke's Point. It consisted of two frigates, an eigh- teen-gun brig, and about thirty-six transports. The latter were small ships. The two frigates and brig anchored opposite the mouth of the Acushnet River, and a little below the point. The transports were anchored outside the Great Ledge, and opposite the mouth of the cove. The troops, including light-horse, artillery, etc., were landed in barges. The landing was completed a little before night, near where the present almshouse stands, and the troops arrived at the head of Main Street (now Union) about dusk. A part of the troops here wheeled to the right and passed down Main Street for the purpose of burning the town, while the remainder continued their march to the north on the county road. There were not, at that time, more than fifteen able-bodied men in the place, every person that could leave having gone to rein- force the American army on Rhode Island, where at that very time they were engaged, the cannon being distinctly heard here. I was at that time an appren- tice to Joseph Russell, the father of Abraham Russell, and had been sent for a horse to carry my mistress to some place of safety. On my return she had gone, as also the goods from the house, but Peace Akins was there (a connection of the family), whom I was di- rected to carry with me. The house stood at the pres- ent corner of County and Morgan Streets, and a little within the fence on the southeast corner of Charles W. Morgan's lot. By this time the British had appeared in sight. I was upon the horse by the side of the horse-block, urging Mrs. Akins to be quick in getting ready. She, however, made some little delay by re- turning into the house for something, and before she had time to get up behind me four light-horsemen passed ns, but without paying us any particular atten- tion. Whilst the head of the British column was passing us, and whilst Peace was in the very act of getting upon the horse, a soldier came np, and seizing the horse's bridle commanded me to get off. I made no reply, but by reining the horse suddenly round

knocked him down, which left me perfectly at liberty, and headed to the north. The troops occupied nearly the whole of the road, leaving, however, a small space on the west side between them and the wall. Through this open space I attempted to pass by, urging my horse at the top of his speed, but before I had gone five rods a whole platoon was fired at me, without hitting either myself or horse. These were the first guns fired by the British. The troops now opened from the centre to close the space next the wall, which reduced me to the necessity of passing through the centre of the remaining platoons. This I effected without injury, in consequence of the speed of my horse, and being so mixed up with the troops as to prevent their firing. About twenty feet in advance of the leading platoon were placed two men with fixed bayonets as an advanced guard. They were about six feet apart, and as I advanced from the rear they both faced about and presented their pieces, which I think were snapped at me, -they did not fire. I passed through between them and made my escape, turning up the Smith Mills road. I went to Timothy Maxfield's, about one and a half miles, and stayed all night.

"I afterwards learned that upon my leaving P. Akins on the horse-block, some British officers rode up and assured her that if she remained perfectly quiet nothing should injure her. She remained in this situation until the troops had passed and the officers left her, when she went over to the east side of the road.

"The four horsemen who first passed us on the horse-block went into the house and plundered two men whom they found there, the goods having been already conveyed back. These men were Humphrey Tallman and Joseph Trafford, who worked for Joseph Russell.

"As I passed up the Smith Mills road, and about one-fourth of a mile from the county road, I met William Haydon and Oliver Potter, both armed with muskets, who inquired where the main body of the British then were. I told them they were nearly square against us. Upon receiving this information they cut across the woods, and, as I was afterwards told, came out a little in advance of the British, and near the west end of the present North Street. The woods were very thick on the west side of County Street at this place, and under cover of night and these woods Haydon and Potter fired upon the sol- diers and killed two horsemen. This I was told by Haydon and Potter, and also by the American pris- oners on their return home, who saw them put into the baggage-wagon.

" A few minutes after these men were shot, Abra- ham Rus-ell, Thomas Cook, and Diah Trafford, all being armed, were discovered by the British attempt- ing to leave the village by coming up a cross-way into County Street. When at the corner of this way with County Street, or nearly so, they were fired upon by

HISTORY OF BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

the British and all shot down. Trafford was twenty- one years old, lacking fourteen days, and was in the employment of Joseph Russell, with whom I then lived. He was shot through the heart and died instantly. After that his face was badly cut to pieces by the sabres of the British. Cook also worked for Russell by the month, and was nearly forty years of age. He was shot through the leg, and also through the bowels, the bullet passing through his bladder. He died about daylight next morning. Russell was about forty years of age. He died about ten o'clock next morning, at the house of Joseph Russell, where they were all carried, after remaining in the road where they were shot all night. Russell and Cook were buried in Dartmouth ; Trafford was buried on a hill by the shore, a little north of the old rope-walk in this town. This was a sort of potter's field, where sailors were buried. The land belonged to Joseph Russell.

" A company of artillery, consisting of about eighty privates, had been sent from Boston for the protection of the place. The building occupied by them as bar- racks was the poor-house, which stood near the pres- ent site of Philip Anthony's dwelling-house. It was a long, low building, and has since been pulled down. The company was commanded by Capt. James Cush- ing, of Boston. Joseph Bell, of Boston, was first lieutenant ; William Gordon, of Boston, second lieu- tenant, and James Metcalf, of Boston, third lieu- tenant. The latter was mortally wounded by the British during the night at Acushnet. This com- pany, although stationed here, had, a short time pre- vious to the landing of the British, been called to Howland's Ferry to aid the Americans against the British on Rhode Island. But during the day of the landing, Lieuts. Gordon and Metcalf had returned with part of the company and one field-piece. As the British advanced they were under the necessity of re- treating. They had a yoke of oxen of Joseph Rus- sell's to draw the cannon.

" The officers of this company had their quarters at and boarded with Mrs. Deborah Doubleday, a widow, in the house in which Judge Prescott's office now is, which was then owned by Seth Russell, father of the late Seth and Charles. After Metcalf was wounded he was brought down to this house, where I saw him the next day. I think he lived three days. I was at his funeral. He was buried on the hill by the old meeting-house at Acushnet, 'under arms.'

" The night was clear moonlight.

" McPherson's wharf was at Bellville, and was burnt by the British, together with some vessels lying there. A brig called the 'No Duty on Tea' was burnt at this wharf. She drifted down the river after her fastenings were burnt off, and finally sank just at the north of Dog Fish Bar, and abreast of the Burying- Ground Hill. Several other small vessels were burnt at this wharf and sank. They were afterwards got up.

" An armed vessel sank on the west side of Crow

Island. She was afterwards got up. Her guns were got up by some persons who dived down and fastened ropes to them, when they were hoisted up. Benjamin C. Myrick was drowned in diving down for the pur- pose of fastening a rope to the last one.

" There were only two wharves in Bedford at that time,-Rotch's, the largest, and Joseph Russell's, now Central.

"On the day the British landed, they commenced carting goods about the middle of the afternoon, and carried them on to a piece of cleared land containing about one acre which was situated in the woods west of the jail, and surrounded on all sides by swamps, heavy wood, and thick copse. Many others carried goods to the same place. After moving all the goods I was sent for a horse to the pasture west of where the jail now stands, as stated before.

" On Sunday morning, the day following the burn- ing of Bedford, a small force in two barges was sent to Padanaram. Three or four houses belonging to the Akins were burnt, and a brig on the stocks. .

" These Akins were strong Whigs, and it is supposed that they were instrumental in driving away from there three men who adhered to the British, and who, with all who took that course, were called Tories. The names of these men were Richard Shearman, Joseph Castle, and Eldad Tupper. These men went to the British, and as two of them were pilots, it is supposed that they pointed out the channel of our harbor to the British. This accounts for the fact that certain houses only were burnt at Padanaram."

Reminiscences collected by Capt. Lemuel S. Akin .- " While the British were marching up to Bedford, William Tobey, once postmaster in New Bedford, was driving a team loaded with goods for a safe place of deposit, but was so hardly pressed by the British that he unyoked his oxen and left his wagon and goods a prize to the enemy.

" Arrived at the Head of the River, a party left the main body and went north as far as the old gambrel- roofed house of Dr. Tobey, still standing. I believe that it was a general baking-day in these parts, for here they found in the cellar an oven full of bread, and pork and beans. These they soon dispatched, and robbed the house of what they wanted, and en- deavored to destroy the rest. But the British pilferers in going down the cellar left the door wide open, and that effectually prevented their seeing another door immediately behind it, leading to a room where their most valuable clothing was deposited, and by that means was saved. Another instance of the same kind occurred at Bartholomew Taber's.

" They burned several houses at the Head of the River, among others one belonging to Capt. Crandon, who, to revenge himself on the British marauders, would not suffer his new house to be placed over his old cellar, nor suffer the cellar to be filled up until his son, having the management in some measure of his father's business, accomplished it.

NEW BEDFORD.

"It was at Acushnet village that Lieut. Metcalf was mortally wounded. He was from Boston, and belonged to the Continental army. Some verses were composed on liis death at the time by a Mrs. Negus. She had not the inspiration of a Sappho, yet they were much esteemed at the time; in fact, much worse have been written, and printed too.

" The first building they burned after leaving the Head of the River was a house on the premises now owned by David Russell, then occupied by Col. Pope. Eldad Tupper, a Tory, and well acquainted in these parts, acted as their guide, and could inform them of all holding office or commissions. As they proceeded south, and near by, they came to Stephen and Thomas Hathaway's. The latter was a man of handsome property in those days, and without children, but he had a ward living with him, Jonathan Kempton, who eventually inherited it. At the time the fleet anchored he was at the lower end of Sconticut Neck, and left immediately for home to remove the household furni- ture to a place of safety. After packing up, he took a small trunk containing quite a valuable quantity of silver plate, and as he stepped to the door to leave the house lie was met by their advance-guard, who told him they would relieve him from any further care of the trunk. After taking what things they wanted from the house, they collected beds and bedding in a chamber and set fire to them, and very luckily shut the doors. They took Mr. Kempton a prisoner, and told him they should carry him to New York. He entreated them to let him have his liberty. After carrying him to the end of a long lane leading to the house they consented, after taking one of the two pairs of breeches that he had on; that he had two pairs on they knew from having robbed him of his watch, but they informed him they must fire at him as a deserter, which they did, but whether with an intention of hitting him or not he never knew. The ball, however, hit a large cherry-tree, one of a num- ber that lined a long passage or lane leading to the house. Mr. Kempton returned to the house in time to extinguish the fire.

" Proceeding on in something of a hurry, burning now and then a house or a store and destroying prop- erty and frightening men, women, and children, who generally, Indian-like, fled to the woods with what little they could carry for safety, some rather laugh- able scenes occurred amid the terror and confusion. One woman, it is charitable to suppose not till after mighty efforts and years of longing, at last procured a brass warming-pan. This, though previous to Lord Timothy Dexter's venture of warming-pans to the West Indies, was too valuable to fall into the hands of the rapacious 'regulars;' accordingly clothes, bedding, household furniture, all; except the warm- ing-pan, was abandoned to its fate. With this she, with many others, started for the woods. Fear is a great creator of phantoms. Arrived at the woods, helter-skelter, there was no time to choose their way,

onward was the word. The bended elastic bushes and limbs of trees were continually striking the warm- ing-pan with a force, in their judgment, sufficient to give the regulars a clue to their whereabouts. What was to be done? The owner must leave the pan be- hind or must herself be left; the former she would not do, the latter she could not prevent, and every one fled from woman and pan with as much eagerness as before they fled from the regulars.

" The British fell in with a Quaker, Jethro Hath- away, father of the late Stephen, and took his broad- brim from his head, hurled it in the air, and after making much sport with it said, ' Let the old Quaker have it again.'

" Bartholomew Taber, a calm, courageous man, re- mained by his house, and was harshly treated by the British soldiery. One fellow threatened to shoot him, and aimed his musket several times at his head, but perceiving it was not cocked he did not consider him- self in much danger. He heard the bullet whistle in the air, fired from the bushes at the British, which caused the burning of the school-house on his premises, and heard them call for a match at the same time.

" Near the Sconticut road, about one mile east of Fairhaven village, was the house and farm of Capt. John Alden. He had a small stone building some little distance from his house, in which he kept gro- ceries for sale. He had moved his family and some goods to a place of safety, and had returned with his ox-team for more goods and furniture. A neighbor came to purchase some rum, and while in the act of getting it the British arrived and relieved him of the care of the team. They drove his oxen on the Neck, where they were slaughtered for the use of the army. On the Neck they stopped at the house of John West, who had in his pen a large fat hog. They put a bayonet through him and left him dead.

" Just before they came to what is called the 'Nar- rows,' in a cleared field where there were several stacks of salt hay, they left a detachment of their army, who, fatigued and sleepy, after setting a guard and scatter- ing the hay, lay on it and took a nap. The remainder continued on about one mile to where the Widow Dean now lives, the place of their final embarkation. They had with them at this time an active, resolute person by the name of Pease as their prisoner. He was not very strictly guarded, and as they were sur- rounded by woods made his escape to the east side of the Neck, and headed north by the edge of the woods and marsh until he came to the Narrows, where he entered the road. Being ignorant at the time of an enemy near, he was hailed by the guard in the road, and immediately advancing to him, with a club secreted under his jacket, with one blow over the head dispatched him and effected his escape. It was supposed the act was witnessed by those on board the fleet, who with their glasses could easily do it, for im- mediately after the blow was given a gun was fired from one of their ships. There is little doubt the

HISTORY OF BRISTOL COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

guard was killed, as a grave was found made by the British near the spot. Many supposed Pease did wrong, and that a judgment overtook him at last, as he was killed by the falling of a well-sweep."

Statement of Charles Grinnell .- Charles Grinnell made the following statement from what he had been told by his mother and members of the Howland family :

" Susanna Grinnell and her sister, Saralı Tucker, left the house of Mrs. Grinnell when the British landed, on horseback, and went to Mrs. Tucker's. The detachment of the army which left the main body and turned down Main Street and burnt the town, stacked their arms in front of the old brick house occupied and owned by old Isaac Howland (old Isaac came from Newport). Howland invited the officers, Gen. Grey and his staff, to come in and take some refreshments. While they were thus enjoying themselves one of Howland's men came running up and told him that the soldiers had broken into the distil-house, had got to the rum, got drunk, and set the distil-house on fire. This exasperated Gen. Grey, for he did not wish to have the property of his host destroyed. He ordered the men corrected and sent aboard the ship. While they were thus resting, some of the men amused themselves with firing into the east end of Mrs. Grinnell's house. The ball-holes are now to be seen under the shingles. The men broke into the back of Mrs. Grinnell's house, plun- dered it and set fire to it. A faithful black woman, who had remained in the house, put out the fire. She was in the cellar while they were firing."

The raid on Isaac Howland's rum may account for some of the men missing in Gen. Grey's official re- turn.

List of Property Destroyed .- The following docu- ment was found among the papers of Gilbert Russell, in his own handwriting :

Shipping Burnt Sept. 5, 1778, by the British Troops, riz .:

Ship " Ilarriet."

Ship "Mellish" (Continental). Ship " Fanny" (French prize).

Ship "Hero." Ship "Leopard."

Ship "Spaniard."

Ship " Cæsar." Barque " Nanny."

Snow " Simeon."

Brig " Sally" (Continental).

Brig "Rosin." Brig " Sally" (fish). Schooner " Adventure."

Schooner " Loyalty" (Continental). Sloop " Nelly." Sloop "Fly Fish." Sloop (Capt. Lawrence). Schooner " Defiance." Schooner (Capt. Jenny ).

Brig "No Duty on Tea."

Schooner "Sally" (" Hornet's" prize).

Sloop (Bowers).

Sloop " Sally" (twelve guns).

Brig (Ritchie).

Brig " Dove." Brig "Holland."

Sloop "Joseph Russell."

Sloop " Boxirow."

Sloop " Pilot Fish."

Schooner (the other side).

Brig "Sally."

Sloop " Retaliation."

Sloop (J. Brown's).

Schooner (eastward).

Dwelling-Houses .- Benjamin Taber, 2; Leonard Jarvis, 1; J. Lowden, 1 ; J. Gerrish, 1 ; W. Claghorn, 1; V. Childs, 1; Joseph Rotch, 1; Joseph Rotch, Jr., 1; Joseph Russell, 1.

Shops, etc. - Isaac Howland's : distil - house, 1; cooper's shop, 1; warehouses, 3. Joseph Russell's : barn, 1; shop, 1. Church's shop (shoe), 1. Joseph Russell's : store, 1; warehouses (old), 2; 2 shops (small), 2; candle-house, 1. L. Kempton, 1. Rotel & Jarvis: shop, 1; warehouses, 2. Joseph Rotch : barn, 1; chaise-house, 1. Total, 20. Rope-walk and one house; A. Smith's blacksmith-shop; Benjamin Taber's shop.

Some Doubtful Points .- There is some doubt with reference to Mr. Macomber's statement of troops landing east of the fort. It is not mentioned in Gen. Grey's official reports nor in other accounts. The de- struction of the fort, as far as can be gathered from Gen. Grey, was accomplished by the troops who had marched from Clarke's Cove around the Head of the River. This is not, however, a direct statement, and if it is thought to be settled that Mr. Macomber saw the troops leaving the vessels and steering for the land in Fairhaven Cove, his account is conclusive. On the other hand, the advance of the column from Clarke's Cove might have reached Sconticut Neck without the knowledge of the garrison in the fort, while the firing detachments delayed at New Bedford, Bellville, and other places; and having thus estab- lished a base for re-embarkation, the attack on the fort might have been made by them while awaiting the arrival of the rear-guard from Bedford. On the whole, however, Mr. Macomber's statement will prob- ably be accepted. It is at any rate full and circum- stantial with reference to all the movements of the British. The people of Bedford village would natu- rally have their attention engrossed by the landing at Clarke's Cove and the burning of the village and shipping, and would be ignorant of operations east of the fort.

Mr. Macomber's statement that Isaac Howland's house was burned must be incorrect. The house was on the north side of Union Street, and was torn down in order to open Cheapside, now Pleasant Street.

NEW BEDFORD.

There is some mystery in connection with the boat attack on Fairhaven as related by Judge Pope. The affair has had another version with marvelously improbable details. Gen. Grey's account of an ex- pedition to burn a vessel on the stocks and others in the stream may be a corroboration of it. Judge Pope's statement is probably exaggerated, as there is nothing to correspond with it in Gen. Grey's return of killed and wounded. There was a house standing in Fairhaven, on the southeast corner of Water and Centre Streets, a few years ago, in which was a bullet- mark said to have been made in this skirmish. The bullet appeared to have been fired from a northwest direction.

Judge Pope's statement that the troops remained at Sconticut till Monday, the 7th, would appear to be a mistake, as Gen. Grey's official report and an ac- count written at the time by Robert Fanshawe, fleet captain, state directly the contrary. And yet the current tradition in Fairhaven is that the destruction of property in that town was accomplished on Sunday forenoon, the 6th ; that the troops bivouacked Sunday night on Sconticut Neck ; and that people frightened away from their homes in Fairhaven Sunday morn- ing remained in the woods all night. A letter written in 1874 by the late Jabez Delano, a noted antiquarian, states that the fort was destroyed about noon on Sun- day.

The Extent of the Calamity .- The object of the attack being to destroy privateers, prizes, and prize goods, comparatively few dwelling - houses were burned. Some were unavoidably involved in the destruction of adjacent warehouses. A few residences of prominent patriots were burned, and some may have been set on fire by soldiers in drunken insubor- dination. But that the destruction was general and wanton with respect to dwelling-houses is not a fact. Probably a few were destroyed that are not men- tioned in Gilbert Russell's list. Among them was Barzillai Merrick's, on the east side of South Water Street. The British official account states that sev- enty vessels were destroyed, and Mr. Russell enumer- ates only thirty-four. There is nothing to show when Mr. Russell's list was written, and it may have been a good many years after the conflagration.

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History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 16

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1818

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1818