History of East Boston; with biographical sketches of its early proprietors, and an appendix, Part 34

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 34
USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > East Boston > History of East Boston : with biographical sketches of its early proprietors, and an appendix. > Part 34


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1 Genealogical Register, Vol. I. 2d Series, p. 136.


2 Mass. Hist. Coll. Vol. I. 4th Series.


:


380


HISTORY.


[1775.


Hill, are kept in the top of Bunker Hill Monument. The follow- ing is the inscription upon the two guns :-


" SACRED TO LIBERTY.


" This is one of four cannons which constituted the whole train of field artillery possessed by the British colonies of North America at the commencement of the war, on the 19th of April, 1775. This cannon and its fellow, belonging to a number of citizens of Boston, were used in many engagements during the war. The other two, the property of the government of Mas- sachusetts, were taken by the enemy.


" By order of the United States in Congress assembled, May 19th, 1788." 1


A letter dated " Cambridge, June 1st, 1775,"2 remarks : " Perhaps history cannot furnish us with a more miraculous in- terposition of Divine Providence; although our enemies kept a warm fire from their cannon and small arms, yet we have but three men wounded, neither of them supposed to be mortal [not the men, but the wounds !]. We still beg the most earnest and constant prayers of our pious friends, that our heads may always be covered in the day of battle. The Lord is a man of war; let salvation be ascribed to the Lord."


The same sentiment is expressed by Timothy Newell, one of the selectmen of Boston, who kept a journal of daily events in 1775 and 1776. He remarks : -


" This action seems without a parallel, that notwithstanding several hundred of the king's troops were engaged all night, and it is said one hundred were wounded and fell, not the least hurt happened except to three of our people, who were commanded by General Putnam. The Lord manifestly appears on our side, and blessed be his glorious name forever." 3


We look back with admiration upon the colonists entering with such zeal, courage, and persistent efforts, into the contest with the mother country; and in respect to this particular


1 Lossing's Field-Book of the Revolution, Vol. I. p. 559.


2 Boston Gazette and Country Journal, June 5th, 1775.


3 Mass. Hist. Coll. Vol. I. 4th Series, Newell's Journal.


--


--


381


RESULTS OF THE BATTLE.


1775.]


battle, when we think of the condition of the respective parties, - the unorganized, half equipped provincials, and the regular army and proud fleet of the enemy, - when we see our gallant men beset by land and sea, and, instead of flying, waiting bravely for reinforcements, and waiting, too, under a heavy fire from the enemy, -and then unflinchingly doing battle the whole night through like veterans in the service, - we may well wonder at their self-sacrificing, virtuous courage, and thank the same God in whom they trusted, and in whose fear they fought, that their efforts were finally crowned with success; and while we keep in mind the greater battles of that long and arduous struggle, let us never forget the brave men who fought the battle of Noddle's Island. Immediately preceded by the skirmish at Lexington and Concord, which excited the people in a manner never before known in the country, and soon fol- lowed by the more important battle of Bunker Hill, it perhaps is not surprising that the engagement on Noddle's Island has not hitherto received from historians that notice it so manifestly deserves. But in view of the facts which have now been pre- sented, and which have been collected with considerable labor, are we not justified in calling this the second battle of the Revolution ?


Emboldened by their success in this engagement, and having learned by experience that they could successfully cope with the regular troops of the British army, a few days afterward the provincials prosecuted their labors upon Noddle's Island with renewed zeal and energy. The same number of the Boston Gazette from which we last quoted, says : -


" We have to inform our friends that since the above attempt (referring to the engagement just described) to remove the live- stock from the islands, it has been actually done; five or six hundred sheep and lambs, upwards of 20 head of cattle, and a number of horses, have been removed to the mainland."


Another paper, from which we have already made extracts,1 alludes to these subsequent expeditions, and also to the burn- ing of some of the buildings. After speaking of the engage- ment, it says : -


" In addition to the above, we hear that on Monday After-


1 New Hampshire Gazette and Historical Chronicle, June 2, 1775.


382


HISTORY.


[1775.


noon, Five o'clock, 200 of the Provincials went down to Nod- dle's Island again, and took off 216 sheep more, 17 Horses, and several Head of Cattle, and set all the barns on fire, in which was a vast quantity of screwed hay."


The journals of the provincial congress show clearly that some of the horses taken from Noddle's Island belonged, or were supposed to belong, to the enemy ; for the record has the following entries under date of 2d June : " Ordered, That Capt. Parker, Capt. Thatcher, Mr. Jewett, Col. Porter, and Mr. Sin- gletary be a committee to consider what is best to be done with the horses lately taken from Noddle's Island." " The committee appointed to consider what shall be done with the horses taken by our forces from Noddle's Island, which belong to our enemies, beg leave to report, that the same horses be de- livered to the committee of supplies, to be by them used and improved for the benefit of the colony, as they shall think fit, until further order from this or some future congress, or house of representatives." 1


H. H. Williams, then tenant of the Island, in his claim for damages sustained during these skirmishes and excursions, men- tions "53 Tons hay burnt in the Barns," "20 Tons hay in stacks burnt." He also enumerates "43 Elegant Horses," "220 sheep used as provisions for the Army," etc., etc.


Newell's journal doubtless alluded to the same expedition under date of the 30th of May. Says the writer: " The man- sion-house on Noddle's Island burnt by our people, the cattle, sheep, &c. drove off. The Admiral sent a number of his peo- ple to take off some stores of the men-of-war which were in a warehouse there, which was not opposed by our people who lay near; suppose when they had taken them on board a sloop (which lay at the wharf) our people fired two cannon out of a little patch of wood on the top of the hill, which made them all fly precipitately." 2


This " hill" was probably Smith's hill, as it overlooked the wharf and faced the town. This is the only place where men- tion is made of the " stores of the Men of War;" still this in- cidental allusion renders it certain that the warehouse at the


1 Journals of Each Provincial Congress of Mass. 1774-5, p. 292.


2 See also Gordon's History Am. Rev. Vol. II. p. 25.


1


1775.]


SUBSEQUENT SKIRMISHES.


383


wharf was used in the early part of the war as a place of de- posit by the British.


The skirmishes on the Island still continued at intervals of a few days. Says the journal just quoted from : "9th June; Last night several Gondaloes (British) went to Noddle's Island for hay. Two hundred and thirty regulars went off soon after sun- rise to support them. Upon the appearance of our people they thought proper to retire, and arrived safe back here."


This affair is thus noticed in the "Boston Gazette," etc., of June 19th, 1775, in an extract from the Boston News-Letter, a tory paper, then conducted by Margaret Draper and Robert Boyle : -


" Watertown, June 19. - On Friday last, the 9th Instant, a Detachment of two Captains, eight subalterns, and two hun- dred men of the Corps of Light Infantry, under the command of Capt. Souter of the Marines, landed at Noddle's Island near 6 o'clock in the morning, for the purpose of bringing off Hay, which was effected without any loss. Advanced parties took possession of the Heights, and were most scandalously abused by the people from the opposite shore. The troops noticed them not, though fired at if they shewed their heads. The Detachment did not fire a shot." It is added in parenthesis, probably by the editor of the " Boston Gazette," etc., -" (An infamous Lie extracted from good Madam Draper's last Thurs- day's Gazette)." By the "infamous lie," the editor probably refers to the assertion that the British did not fire upon the pro- vincials.


Upon the next day, the 10th. of June, the Island was swept by fire of all the buildings remaining upon it; and in reference to it an original letter is here introduced, addressed to the author by John Marston, Esq. :- 1


" Boston, 12th Aug. 1833.


" DEAR SIR, - Agreeably to your request, I shall herewith annex my recollections of 'olden times,' relative to 'Noddle's Island.'


1 John Marston was a most respectable stockbroker, and lived in Franklin Place. At the time this letter was written he was a hale man, sound in body and mind.


384


HISTORY.


[1775.


" In 1769 to '71, I was a pupil at Dummer's school near Newbury,1 and had occasion to pass Winnisimmet Ferry several times in the course of that time. I remember that the Island was then very bare of trees, except about the house where Mr. Williams resided.


" I remember that while passing Charlestown Ferry on the 10th June, 1775, I saw all the houses and barns on Noddle's Island (which could be seen in that direction) in flames. A detachment of the American army had been sent the night pre- vious to drive off the cattle and sheep, which was very proper, but the burning the houses, etc. was not approbated by our people, as it was setting a very bad example, and may have led to the burning of Charlestown that day week. By examining the orderly book of Gen. Ward, you may discover whether there were any orders from Head-quarters to burn any dwellings, and whether the act was approved by him.2


" The marines from the ships of war landed on the Island and drove our people off.


" Very respectfully, " JOHN MARSTON. " Wm. H. Sumner, Esq."


That this conflagration upon the 10th of June completed the destruction of all the buildings upon the Island is evident from an item in a newspaper of two days later date.3


" Saturday last the Provincial Troops set Fire to the Store on Noddle's Island, which was entirely consumed, no Building being now left standing on said Island."


The reason why the provincials destroyed these buildings is to be found in the fact that the British, while engaged in their depredations on the Island, made use of them for a protection, and thus secured to themselves a great advantage over the col- onists.


From the 27th of May to the 10th of June inclusive, the


1 Byfield Academy.


2 The order book of Gen. Ward, which was for some time in the writer's possession, and of which he has deposited a copy in the adjutant-general's office, has been examined ; it contains no orders to this effect.


3 Boston Gazette and Country Journal, June 12th, 1775.


385


PROPERTY DESTROYED.


1775.]


Island was the scene of severe skirmishing, plundering, and conflagration, and, although unused to the dangers of war, the undisciplined provincials successfully coped with the British regulars, and evinced their true patriotism in burning their own property rather than suffer it to fall into the hands of the enemy.


Of this whole transaction, Col. Humphrey says: "Thus ended this affair, in which several hundred sheep and some cat- tle were removed from under the muzzles of the enemy's cannon, and our men accustomed to stand fire by being for so many hours exposed to it, without any loss." 1


There can be no doubt that the results of the severe dis- cipline of this battle were made fully manifest in the battle of Bunker Hill, which soon followed.


The Island, now stripped of all the stock and the buildings all burned, contained no object worthy the attention of General Gage. The owners and tenants suffered much from these ex- peditions. The loss from the burning of the buildings is thus estimated by Deacon Thomas Greenough, the husband of one of the three devisees of S. S. Yeamans, a former proprietor of the Island : -


Three houses, at £100, .


£300


Three barns, at £100,


300


One large mansion-house, 900


Two large barns,


230 .


One large store,


200


One barn, .


100


One stable,


30


£2,060


The proprietors of the Island never received any compensa- tion for this destruction of their property ; but H. H. Williams, who was a quartermaster-sergeant in the army at Cambridge, received as a present from General Washington, in partial re- muneration for his loss as tenant, a portion of the army bar- racks at Cambridge, with which to construct a shelter for his houseless family.


1 Essay on the Life of the Hon. Maj. Gen. Putnam, p. 94, etc.


33


386


HISTORY.


[1789.


After the war, Mr. Williams presented to the legislature of Massachusetts a petition for remuneration for his losses, and " A schedule of House Furniture, Stock, Stores, Horses, &c. &c. that were Destroyed by a Detachment of the American Army ; or carried off by said Detachment for the use of the United States in the year 1775, belonging to Henry Howell Williams who then tenanted Noddle's Island in the Harbour of Boston," the accu- racy of which is sworn to by Mr. Williams and his wife. This claim was made upon the principle that governments are bound to compensate their citizens for losses sustained under the orders of their own officers, in war as well as in peace, while damages done by the depredations of the enemy must be en- dured by the individual sufferers. The " schedule " 1 comprises every article in the house, cellar, and out-buildings, and gives the contents of each room by itself. The whole amount of his property lost is therein estimated at £3,646 6s. 2d. In answer to the claim, the legislature voted to Mr. Williams the sum of £2,000 in full for all damages. The resolution is as follows : -


" Commonwealth of Massachusetts. " In Senate, June 23, 1789.


" Resolved, that the Treasurer of this Commonwealth be and he hereby is directed to issue his note in behalf of the Common- wealth in favor of Henry Howell Williams, for the sum of two thousand pounds and interest thereon from date of the same in full compensation of the damage he sustained from having his stock and other property taken from him or destroyed in conse- quence of orders given by the commanding officer of the Mas- sachusetts troops in the month of May, 1775, and that the same be charged to the United States.


" Sent down for concurrence. SAM PHILLIPS, jun". Presidt. " In the House of Representatives, June 24, 1789. " Read and concurred. DAVID COBB, Speaker.


" Approved, JOHN HANCOCK. " True Copy Attest, JOHN AVERY, jun". Sec'y."


1 This is now in the possession of the writer, through the politeness of John Avery, Esq., of Lowell, its owner.


387


IMPORTANCE OF THIS BATTLE.


1775.]


The " schedule," the title of which has been given, and the above quoted " Resolve," are valuable as furnishing additional proof that the conflagration and the destruction of property took place under the orders of the American commander.


The records of the committee of safety state that " Henries Vomhavi, an Indian, having represented to this Committee that he had taken two horses at Noddles Island, one a little horse, which he is desirous of retaining as some recompense for his fatigue and risk in that action, in which, it is said, he behaved with great bravery : it is the opinion of this committee, that said Indian should be gratified in his request, which will be an encouragement to others in the service, provided, the honorable Congress should approve thereof."1 Such instances, slight though they may be, show the readiness of the authorities to compensate for services rendered, when it was possible to do so. · In view of the facts which have been collected respect- ing the conflicts, depredations, and conflagrations on Noddle's Island, extending at intervals from the 27th of May to the 10th of June, the reader is left to judge whether the state- ment at the commencement of this narrative is not substan- tiated, namely, that the engagement upon the Island was an important one, deserving a fuller notice by historians than has before been given to it, and whether it does not deserve the name of a battle; and if so, whether it should not take its appro- priate place as the second battle of the Revolution.


The writer appeals to the public for its verdict as to the im- portance and position which this battle should take in the his- tory of that war. Surely, if the number of combatants, the character of the officers engaged in it, the length of the conflict, the arms used, the bravery displayed, and the results effected, constitute a battle, then does this engagement on Noddle's Island deserve the name. It was no mere skirmish. On one side were a thousand ardent, liberty-loving Americans led by one of the bravest officers of the army, and equipped with small arms and field-pieces, while on the other was a large body of several hundred marines and regulars, provided with


1 Journals of Each Provincial Congress of Mass. p. 586.


388


HISTORY.


[1775.


two twelve-pounders, and supported by a schooner which mounted four six-pounders and twelve swivels, a heavy-armed sloop, and eleven barges with swivels ; and between these con- tending forces the contest was bravely carried on during the whole night. Warren, Putnam, and Stark, a noble trio, were there. Warren had already met the enemy at West Cambridge on their retreat from Lexington, where he narrowly escaped with his life from a musket ball, which grazed his head. A leader in the struggle for liberty, anxious to be present wher- ever an enemy was to be found and gunpowder to be smelt, he was present on the night of the battle of Noddle's Island encouraging the men by word and deed.


His daring and patriotic spirit urged him into the hottest of the fight, where his life was in imminent danger ; but the fatal shot which gave him a martyr's crown was reserved for the ever glorious battle of the 17th of June at Bunker Hill, where he fell in the midst of the conflict, uttering the most noble words which ever came from the lips of a dying patriot and hero : " I am a dead man : fight on, my brave fellows, for the salvation of your country." 1 The discerning wife of John Adams, in a letter written the day after that battle, thus feel- ingly alludes to his death : " I have just heard that our dear friend, Dr. Warren, is no more, but fell gloriously fighting for his country ; saying better to die honorably in the field than ignominiously to hang upon the gallows. Great is our loss. He has distinguished himself in every engagement, by his courage and fortitude, by animating the soldiers, and leading them on by his own example."2 A few days later, in a letter to the same individual, she says: "Not all the havoc and devastation they have made has wounded me like the death of Warren. We want him in the senate, we want him in his profession, we want him in the field. We mourn for the citizen, the senator, the physician, and the warrior." 3


The author can express the conclusions to which his own in- vestigations brought him in regard to the relative positions of


1 For many facts connected with his death, the reader is referred to an article by the author, in the Genealogical and Historical Register, April and July, 1858.


2 Mrs. Adams's Letters, Vol. I. p. 39.


: Ib. p. 49.


389


THE EVACUATION.


1775.]


Putnam, Warren, and Prescott, in no better way than by quot- ing a toast which he gave at a public celebration on the 4th of July, 1826 : " Bunker Hill and its honored defenders : - Put- nam the commander, Warren the martyr, and Prescott the hero."


Neither Stark nor Putnam was at Lexington or Concord ; but on Noddle's Island, Stark, who on the very day he received his commission as colonel enlisted eight hundred men,1 success- fully executed the first orders he received from the commander- in-chief; and here the brave Putnam, whose title of commander in this engagement cannot be disputed, even by those who would deprive him of that rank at Bunker Hill, first engaged in actual conflict with the British. Fired with the same impet- uous zeal for which he was so distinguished in the French and Indian war, heedless of his own safety, and inspiring his men with his own dauntless bravery, he led on the contest, and successfully established the bravery and efficiency of the colo- nial troops. While the colonists suffered but little, three men only being wounded, the enemy's loss was severe, and Gen. Gage considered the engagement of sufficient consequence to announce it to the government, while the gallant conduct of Putnam gained him a commission from congress.


Truly, if the skirmish at Lexington receives from historians the dignity of the name of a battle, how much more does that at Noddle's Island deserve the same honor; and if the former was the first, certainly the latter, in point of time and impor- tance, takes its proper position as the Second, Battle of the Revolution.


ʻ


The story of the occupation and evacuation of Boston by the British is too well known to be repeated here; and we limit our narrative to a brief mention of facts as they are connected with the Island history.


The opening of the year 1776 found the British forces in a hazardous condition. They were surrounded and harassed by a large army of indignant Americans, guided by the master-


1 Allen's Biog. Dict. p. 754. (Boston, 1857.)


33 *


390


HISTORY.


[1776.


spirit of the Revolution; the hills which commanded the city and harbor were occupied by the indefatigable " rebels," who, as Howe said when viewing the works which rose as by magic on Dorchester Heights, did " more in one night than my whole army would have done in a month ; " and the enemy could no longer remain with safety in the city they had so long occu- pied. In addition to the important positions already secured by the provincial troops, the British justly apprehended that the few remaining heights about the harbor would soon be in the possession of the Americans, and thus their fleet be exposed to certain destruction. Botta, an Italian writer, makes the judi- cious remark, that it was feared that they would occupy Noddle's Island, and establish batteries which, sweeping the surface of the water across the harbor, would have entirely interdicted the passage to the ships, and reduced the garrison to the necessity of yielding at discretion.1 That this fear was not groundless is evident from the fact, that, at the council of war on the 16th of February, 1776, Noddle's Island was one of the places selected for occupation in the proposed bombardment.


The British fleet and army, being completely outmanœuvred by Yankee shrewdness, and driven to extremities by a com- bination of adverse circumstances, evacuated Boston on the 18th of March, 1776. It was on a Sunday morning, and at an early hour, that the enemy, " satisfied that neither Hell, Hull, nor Halifax could afford worse shelter," evacuated the town, taking with them about fifteen hundred tories, who dared not remain behind and meet their enraged countrymen. The fleet, which consisted of one hundred and forty sail, was detained in the harbor for several days, and during this period some of the troops burned the block-house and barracks on Castle Island, and blew up and demolished the fortifications.2


.


The 18th of March was a memorable day for Boston, " Hos- tibus primo fugatis." 3 The city was once more free from a hos- tile army, and the inhabitants felt that their property and their


1 Botta's Hist. Am. Rev. Vol. II. p. 44.


2 Gordon's Hist. Am. Rev. Vol. II. p. 200; Barry's Mass. Vol. III. p. 84.


Motto on the medal struck by congress in honor of Washington, 25th March, 1776.


391


DEFENCES STRENGTHENED.


1776.]


city were now their own. But sadness followed the first spon- taneous outburst of rejoicing. The beautiful city had been rendered a desolation; the noble shade trees had been cut down; many of the finest houses had been defaced; churches had been disfigured ; the Old South had been used for a riding school, and the arena heated by fires kindled with rare books and manuscripts from Prince's fine library, which had been kept in the steeple; the parsonage house had been used for fuel; the Old North Chapel had been demolished for the same purpose ; the famous old " Liberty Tree" had furnished the enemy with fourteen cords of wood; the large wooden steeple of the West Church had been used for firewood; Brattle street and Hollis street churches for barracks; Faneuil Hall for a theatre ; private property had been destroyed; and the whole city told a sad tale of the siege. It should be recorded, how- ever, to the credit of General Howe, that he exerted himself diligently during the few days previous to the evacuation to prevent the excesses committed by the troops, and the guilty were threatened with death if detected in robbing or firing a house.1 Previous to this, the British general had declared his intention to burn the town if the troops were molested in their departure. But, in answer to a communication from the most influential citizens, he promised to spare it if allowed to leave quietly. Although no positive agreement of this nature was made, yet by means of a non-committal conference and corre- spondence, both parties tacitly consented to the arrangement.2




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