History of East Boston; with biographical sketches of its early proprietors, and an appendix, Part 32

Author: Sumner, William H. (William Hyslop), 1780-1861. cn
Publication date: 1858
Publisher: Boston, J. E. Tilton
Number of Pages: 883


USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > East Boston > History of East Boston; with biographical sketches of its early proprietors, and an appendix > Part 32
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > East Boston > History of East Boston : with biographical sketches of its early proprietors, and an appendix. > Part 32


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1 History of Battle of Bunker Hill, by Samuel Swett, p. 48.


? When the writer had charge of his mother's and uncle's part of Noddle's Island, after his father's death, Mr. Jackson, who was highly esteemed for his gentlemanly deportment, as well as his high and honorable character, had been recently appointed treasurer of Harvard University. He was to be found in the supervisor's office, in a large building on the north side of Oliver street, formerly the elegant residence of Mr. McDonough, the British consul. It is not now recollected who preceded Mr. Jackson in the office of treasurer ; but it is very certain that no great pains were taken in the collection of the college dues, nor was the account of its funds kept with the same punctilious exactness as by the eminent gentleman who is the subject of this note, as the following story will prove.


The reader has learned from this history that S. S. Yeamans, the devisor of Noddle's Island to his three aunts, one of whom was Mrs. Hyslop, the writer's


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HISTORY.


[1775.


Island was owned by Mr. Henry Howell Williams, the tenant, who was habitually accustomed to supply outward bound ves- sels with live-stock and poultry from his large and varied stock.


grandmother, also devised to them a farm in Chelsea of four hundred acres, which his progenitors owned in fee-simple, subject to Newdigate's gift of an annuity of £5 to Harvard University. This farm Col. Shrimpton bought of Mr. Newdigate, and it had been kept in the family subject to this annuity. Mention is made of it in a letter from Thomas Greenough to Mr. Yeamans, dated 1st May, 1767.


" Our forefathers, when our college was in its infancy, used to have dona- tions very often to the college to encourage learning, and it was a noble thing that God put it into the hearts of our ancestors to erect such a school for the prophets, which has been as a fountain, from which have flowed streams which have rejoiced the city of our God, and trained up many for eminent blessings in their day to church and State.


" By the will of John New(di)gate, who owned the Chelsea farm, who died in the year 1665, (he) gave £5 p. ann. forever to Harvard College, in Cam- bridge, and subjected the farm to pay said sum, and your great grandfather, Col. Saml. Shrimpton, purchased this farm of Jno. New(di)gate's son Na- thaniel, with this incumbrance of £5; he gave £350 sterling for said farm, as appears by the deed."


The writer, in behalf of the proprietors, went to Mr. Jackson at the super- visor's office, for the purpose of paying this annuity. When the sum due was ascertained, he, stepping to a large office desk of several compartments in the middle of the room, took, from a quire of paper upon it, a sheet, for the pur- pose of inditing a receipt for the money he was about to pay. Noticing this, Mr. Jackson said, " Stop, sir, if you please; I'll give you the paper which I wish you to use ; " and opening a drawer, took therefrom paper, pen, and ink, which he handed to me, saying, " This is the college drawer; the paper you were about to use belongs to the supervisor's department."


Such punctilious honesty is rarely witnessed in the present day, even by the descendants of the Silver Greys of Newburyport. He was the father of the late Judge Jackson, and was connected by kin or marriage with the Lowells, Higginsons, Cabots, and other of the first families. The writer well remembers the deep impression his funeral made upon the public mind. It had been custom- ary, up to this time, to have a numerous procession of mourners and friends, male and female, follow the hearse on foot, and a long line of carriages with liveried servants, only a few of which had any one in them, sent by their several owners to show their respect for the deceased, the degree of it in which he was held being estimated by the length of the procession. This custom was broken in upon by Mr. Jackson, the funeral being conducted, by his direction, in the most simple manner, only a few of the nearest male connections following the hearse on foot. This custom has been almost universally followed, save by the Cath- olic Irish, who still retain their fondness for long processions in numerous car- riages, not always empty !


- -- --


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THE NECESSITIES OF THE BRITISH.


1775.]


The possession of the live-stock upon the different islands in the harbor was a matter of no small consequence to the British. The army, then consisting of three thousand effective troops, occupied the town, while a fleet lay in the harbor. These forces were to be fed, and provisions were to be obtained in the face of very serious obstacles. In allusion to this state of things, Freneau,1 the spirited song writer of the Revolution, in his " Midnight Musings : or, a Trip to Boston," published in 1775, referring to the necessities of the British army, and the attempts made to obtain provisions on the islands, puts these words into the mouth of General Gage : -


" Three weeks, ye gods! nay, three long years it seems, Since roast beef I have touched; except in dreams. In sleep, choice dishes to my view repair ; Waking, I gape, and champ the empty air. Say, is it just, that I, who rule these bands, Should live on husks, like rakes in foreign lands ? Come, let us plan some object, ere we sleep, And drink destruction to the rebel sheep. On neighboring isles, uncounted cattle stray, Fat beeves and swine, - an ill defended prey : These are fit visions for my noon-day dish ; These, if my soldiers act as I could wish, In one short week would glad your maws and mine ; On mutton we will sup, on roast beef dine."


But while the hungry wants of the general and his army, and their plans for relief, seem to have afforded peculiar pleasure to the muse of Freneau, it was really a matter of great moment to the British army. Of salt provisions there was a good supply, but the men, unaccustomed to such diet, were fast falling sick. Of fresh provisions they were entirely destitute. To obtain these was a work of great difficulty. The army was completely invested. The hitherto despised provincials had shut in the British, made use of the very lines on Boston Neck which Gage himself had erected, and were waiting impatiently for the oppor-


1 Philip Freneau was born in the city of New York, January 2d, 1752; died December 18th, 1832.


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HISTORY.


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tunity to drive the royal forces to the fleet. Communication with the country was cut off. Had it not been, the reception the British had met with from the few and hastily gathered Americans in their visit to Lexington and Concord indicated the danger of penetrating the interior in the face of the army, undis- ciplined though it was, which then surrounded the town, led by Ward, Putnam, Warren, Prescott, McClary, and Stark.


General Gage was then in command, in his capacity of governor. The troubles which had been years in coming to a crisis had now caused open warfare. While hopes of peace were entertained in England, he himself had precipitated the contest by carrying out the will of the king and of the British ministry, which looked only to coercion. Notwithstanding the large army and fleet under his command, he had miscalculated his own strength and the valor of the provincials. His position at this time had begun to undeceive him. He received still more light in the contests on Noddle's Island; and was finally fully enlightened on the 17th of June following. " The trials we have had," wrote he, " show the rebels are not the despicable rabble too many have supposed them to be."


The writer is gratified in being able to present to the public a correct likeness of the last royal governor of Massachusetts. It is taken from an original portrait of life size, now in possession of the writer, which was presented to him by Admiral Sir William Hall Gage, a son of the governor,1 who is still living at an advanced age, and is said by him and the present Lord Gage, a grandson of the governor, to be an excellent like-


1 Sir William Hall Gage, G. C. H. (knighted for his brilliant naval exploits) is the third son of the Hon. General Thomas Gage, and was born in Park Place, St. James, 1777; entered the navy in 1789; when lieutenant in La Minerve (42), distinguished himself in an action with the Spanish frigates in 1796 ; he also received much praise for his conduct at the capture of La Mu- tine, French corvette ; commanded the Terpischore frigate subsequently ; was afterward employed at the blockade of Malta; in 1801 was concerned in the cutting out of La Chevrette, 20 guns and 390 men, from under the batteries of Camaret, near Brest ; subsequently commanded the Thetis and the Indus ; at- tained the rank of admiral of the blue in 1846; was a lord of the admiralty from September, 1841, to July, 1846 ; and commander-in-chief at Plymouth, from 1848 to 1851. - Dod's Peerage, p. 251.


-


The Guys


from of costas Po trait in the pastmypoint of Ren W.H. Kamuer I I Buffor d's high boston


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LETTER FROM ADMIRAL GAGE.


1775.]


ness. The letter of Admiral Gage to the writer sending the picture, of which the following is a copy, will be read with. interest.


" Bury St. Edmunds, 1st July, 1857.


" MY DEAR GENERAL, - When you read the account of Lady Gage's sudden death, you will not feel surprise that Lord Gage forgot every thing else for the moment,1 but he sent me your letter of the 12th June a few days ago, in which you are pleased to accept the picture of the late General Gage. Your wish to have a portrait of my father quite delights me, and I send you the one I have long had in my possession with the greatest pos- sible pleasure. The likeness, so far as I recollect, of his person and figure is better than either of those at Firle,2 although not a full length ; they were painted when he was a younger man, and before I could remember."


In the same letter, in answer to some inquiries respecting a memoir of Gen. Gage, he replies : -


" I am not aware of there being any biographical memoir of my father, but I know he saw a great deal of service. He was in the Guards, and an aid-de-camp to the Duke of Cumberland at the battle of Fontenay, in 1745, and in the same capacity at Culloden, in 1746. He was a fellow-soldier of the great Wash- ington when General Braddock was killed near Fort du Quesne in 1755. This is all I remember excepting that after his return from America he commanded a division of the army encamped at Cox-heath, until the close of the war in 1783.


"I have not been able to find a letter of General Gage's among my mother's papers excepting one relating to his pub-


1 This sentence will be best explained by the following extract from a pri- vate letter from Lord Gage to the author : -


" I am sure you will be sorry to hear that we are suffering under the most distressing bereavement. Poor Lady Gage has been suddenly taken from us by an apoplectic fit. To her children she was the best of mothers, to me all in all.


" Believe me ever, very truly yours, " GAGE."


2 One of the residences of Lord Gage.


31


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HISTORY.


[1775.


lic accounts, which I sent to Lord Gage some little time back.1


" I have had the picture packed in a case with the following direction : - ' To General W. H. Sumner, Jamaica Plain, Boston, Mass., U. S. A.'


" I hope you may receive it in due time. I beg to present my kind regards to Mrs. Sumner.


" I am, my dear General, " Very sincerely, yours, " W. H. GAGE."


The above letter, which is but one from a number which have been received on the same subject from the admiral and his nephew, the present Lord Gage, is quoted at length on ac- count of the historical allusions, and to show the genuineness of the portrait.


The life and public services of Gen. Gage while in this coun- try being fully shown in its histories, only a few prominent points need be given. The Hon. General Thomas Gage was the second son of the first Viscount Gage, and, entering in early life the British army, served with credit under several distin- guished commanders. Fortune favored him, and he rose rap- idly in the service. He was lieutenant-colonel in the ill-fated expedition of Gen. Braddock (which was planned by the Duke of Cumberland, then captain-general of the British army, to whom he was aid-de-camp), led the advanced guard and was severely wounded in that disastrous battle, which cost the brave but self-confident Braddock his life, and which gave to Wash- ington a brilliant name as a prudent, and at the same time a brave, officer.


Through the kindness of Col. Thomas Aspinwall, its fortu- nate possessor, the writer has permission to examine and make use of a valuable manuscript, containing queries propounded to Gen. Gage by George Chalmers, and Gage's answers to these in his own hand-writing. From this important paper2


1 This letter has been forwarded to the author by Lord Gage, and is now in his possession.


2 Now printed in Mass. Iist. Coll. Vol. IV. 4th Series.


=


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PUBLIC LIFE OF GENERAL GAGE.


1775.]


is extracted the following account of Braddock's defeat, which will prove very interesting to the reader, coming from such a source, and containing many valuable facts and supposi- tions.


Says Gen. Gage: "The cause of Gen. Braddock's disaster is to be attributed, first, to the Province disappointing him in the Carriages and Provisions they engaged to furnish by a stated time; by which he was detained several weeks, when otherwise ready to proceed, and the Plan he had concerted with the Govrs, to march with expedition to Fort Du Quesne before the enemies and reinforcements could arrive, was, by that means, prevented. Secondly, to his being defeated near the Mononga- hela, the cause of which was his own inexperience and that of his troops of the kind of country in which the war was carried on, and of the enemy he was to engage, whose manner of fight- ing was new to Europeans, tho' adapted to their circumstances and the nature of the Country, in which heavy fires from close and compact bodies would not prevail. Two expeditions had been concerted in 1755; one to remove the French from the Ohio above mentioned ; the other under Mr. Shirley, Governor of Massachusetts Bay had for its object the securing the Pass into the British Provinces by Oswego and to remove the French from Niagara and Ft Frontenac on the W. & E. sides of Lake Ontario. Two new raised Regts with provincial troops of N. England, N. York & Jersey, were appointed for this service ; and so much time lost was through delays, mistakes, &c., in setting forward these troops that the enemy had full time to reinforce and secure their posts, and Braddock was defeated before they got to their Rendezvous. Gen Shirley raised some works at Oswego, left troops to defend them, and returned with the rest."


Gen. Gage then proceeds to notice the origin of the hostilities commenced in 1755, and in a very concise manner traces the causes which, in his view, brought on that war. It will be inter- esting to extract this recital, which is in the following lan- guage : -


" The Indian tribes had long complained of encroachments upon their lands without getting more satisfaction than fair


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HISTORY.


[1775.


words and empty promises. Instead of doing them justice, a Society called the Ohio Company was formed whose object was to obtain large Districts of Country upon or near the Ohio for its members, and it was so openly avowed that the Indians became acquainted with the design. They remonstrated against the Injustice of it, and at length, tired out, told the English they were an infatuated people, deserted them, and applied to the French for protection.


" These entreaties first brought the French upon the Ohio, who declared they came there only as Friends and Allies to the Indians, and to protect their property. Alarmed at the prox- imity of the French, the provinces clamoured, the Governors applied for assistance, and troops were unfortunately sent to America.


" From the above it may be seen that the primary causes of the war of 1755, which extended itself over the four parts of the world, are to be traced to the banks of the Ohio, and that Britain was then, as she always has been, duped by her colonies."


The closing remark in this extract may perhaps strike the reader unfavorably ; but it must be remembered that Gen. Gage was an Englishman, high in authority under the king, and naturally looked at the colonial affairs with the peculiar views and feelings of the ministry at that time.


In the same MS. from which these extracts have been taken is mentioned a striking illustration of the almost universal patriotism of the colonists. The incident has relation to the famous destruction of the tea in Boston harbor, and is thus related : --


" The rioters who destroyed the Tea were to be prosecuted according to the forms of law; and what is worthy of remark is that of the Thousands concerned in that riot, or who were. spectators of it, only one witness could be procured to give tes- timony against them, and that one conditionally that the delin- quents should be tried in England."


The British general also gives an instance of the accuracy and speed with which the rebels obtained news from England, often anticipating the government despatches. He says : -


" A letter from Bristol to Doctor Cooper, signed with a fic-


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PUBLIC LIFE OF GENERAL GAGE.


1775.]


titious name, was intercepted, encouraging them to take arms, and giving assurance of a rising in England the moment blood should be shed in America. An instance of the Intelligence sent them is, that on the arrival of two vessels from Marblehead on the 8th of April, 1775, an unusual hurry and commotion was perceived among the disaffected. It being on a Sunday morn- ing, Dr. Cooper, a notorious rebel, was officiating in his meet- ing-house, and on notice given him, pretended sudden sickness, went home, and sent to another clergyman to do his duty in the evening. He with every other chief of the Faction left Boston before night and never returned to it. The cause at the time unknown was discovered on the 14th of said month when a vessel arrived with Government despatches which contained directions to seize the persons of certain notorious rebels. It was too late. They had received timely notice of their danger, and were fled."


After the conquest of Canada in 1760, Gen. Gage was ap- pointed governor of Montreal, and at the departure of Amherst, in 1763, was commissioned commander-in-chief of the British forces in America. Upon the recall of Hutchinson he was ap- pointed governor of Massachusetts, and arrived in Boston on the 13th of May, 1774.1 General Gage had the misfortune to


1 Gen. Gage upon his arrival landed at Long wharf, and was escorted by the Independent Company of Cadets, under Col. John Hancock, which was the governor's body guard, to the Province house, which was prepared for his reception. This was a large three-story brick building in Washington, nearly opposite the western end of Milk, street. It was fifty feet or more from the street, and had a court-yard in front enclosed with an iron fence, and within which were four large English elms; " Province Court" still marks this locality.


Upon the arrival of the escort at the government house, the governor ob- served, as he passed the lines, that the customary salute was not given. He sent for Colonel Hancock, and demanded an explanation of the omission. The colonel's reply, that it was through forgetfulness, and that no disrespect was intended, did not satisfy the governor, who deprived him of his commission.


This anecdote was related to the writer by Edward Stowe, a member of the company, and a clerk in the adjutant-general's office. Ile remained in Bos- ton during the siege.


This occurrence broke up the company, and it remained disorganized until 1787, when, through the influence of General Brooks, who drew the act, the legislature reorganized it.


31*


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HISTORY.


[1775.


enter upon the duties of his office at a time when, as a faithful servant of his sovereign, it became necessary for him to execute laws framed expressly for inflicting chastisement upon the peo- ple of the colony over which he was placed, and thus he became identified with the various oppressive measures which were adopted by the home government. Of a naturally amiable dis- position, his benevolence often outweighed his justice in the scale of duty ; and under other circumstances he might have been a favorite with the colony, while now his name is necessa- rily connected with oppression and hatred of freedom. Previous to this time, he had always won favor and esteem in the various positions he had occupied, and had rendered himself popular ; but, in the words of a historian, " he was altogether unfit for a governor of Massachusetts." He entirely mistook the character of the Americans, and engaged, with five regiments of troops, to keep Boston quiet! In May, 1775, the provincial congress declared him unworthy of obedience, and disqualified him from serving as governor ; and from that time the exercise of his func- tions was confined to Boston. In October of the same year he went to England, sailing from Boston, and expecting to return to America and resume the command; but it was determined otherwise, and Gen. Howe was appointed in his place. After his return to England he commanded a division of the army encamped at Cox-heath until the close of the war. He died in April, 1787, near the seventy-sixth year of his age.1


Gen. Gage was linked to this country by domestic ties, hav- ing married, at Mount Kemble, into one of the most respectable families of New Jersey, subsequently to Braddock's defeat, and while he was under the command of Lord Amherst. His wife was Margaret, daughter of Peter Kemble, Esq., President of the Council in New Jersey, and owner of the seat called Mount Kemble, three miles from Morristown. By this marriage he had six sons and five daughters. The wife of General Sum- ner, Mary Dickinson Kemble, is the grand-daughter of Peter


1 Allen's Biog. Dictionary, p. 371 ; Appleton's Encyclopædia of Biog. p. 311 ; Lossing's Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. I. p. 573; Drake (Hist. Boston, p. 750) dates his death 2d April, 1788.


-


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DEPREDATIONS OF THE BRITISH.


1775.]


Kemble, and the niece of Gen. Gage.1 It may also be men- tioned as a fact, perhaps a little singular, that she is also the grand-daughter of the American general, John Cadwalader, the confidential friend of Washington, who served his country with eminent distinction in the Revolutionary war, and whose grand- son, Gen. George Cadwalader, gained an honorable fame in the Mexican war, thus being connected with two officers of high rank, engaged in the same war and upon opposite sides.


Returning from what, the author hopes, is an acceptable digression, the reader will resume the Island narrative.


The occasional engagements with the outposts of the enemy and with foraging parties accustomed the provincial troops to face the British soldiers, and to become familiar with the dan- gers of war. These skirmishes were of great service in con- vincing the Americans that in fair conflict they were at least an equal match for the enemy ; that their zeal, courage, and deter- mined energy, were even superior to the British ; and that, with the consciousness of right on their side, the contest would be vigorously, and, in the end, successfully maintained.


The islands in the harbor, stocked as they were with cattle, became the scenes of numerous skirmishes, and the alarms which were raised in the neighboring towns of predatory excur- sions for the seizure of cattle, kept the local militia in a state of continual vigilance. The depredations of the British were frequent, and were energetically made, and were as often and vigorously repulsed ; and as an additional measure of safety and precaution, companies were raised in several towns for the de- fence of the sea-coast, and preparations were made for the establishment of a naval force at the most exposed places.


The most important of the engagements which took place between the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill was the series of conflicts on Noddle's and Hog Islands, which con- tinued at intervals from the 27th to the 30th of May.2 These two islands, abounding in forage and stocked with cattle, were


1 N. E. Hist. and Gen. Register, Vol. VIII. p. 128 g.


Barry's Ilist. Mass. Vol. III. p. 15 and notes.


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HISTORY.


[1775.


frequently visited by the English, who went there for provisions. The provincials resolved to put a stop to this by removing the cattle, and taking away and destroying all the provender they could find. This purpose they carried into effect, not, however, without a vigorous opposition on the part of the royalists, Nod- dle's Island being the principal scene of action. A second time the provincials landed on the Island and took off a great number of cattle, and a few days later effected the same object on Deer, Pettick's, and other islands in the harbor. In reference to one of these excursions, Newell says, in his journal, under date of 12th July, 1775 : -




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