USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Easthampton > History of Easthampton: its settlement and growth; its material, educational, and religious interests, together with a genealogical record of its original families > Part 8
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An incident of interest, which has come to our notice, though known perhaps to some, is deserving of mention here. Rev. Luther Wright, on the day on which he reached the grand climacteric of life, (his sixty-third birth-day,) ate his thanksgiving dinner in the room in which he was born, with his father and mother beside him. A case of this kind, where so many circumstances
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of interest cluster around a single event, rarely happens in any community.
It is a fact, perhaps not generally known, that the elm which stands in the center of the park, where the original church edifice stood, is planted directly beneath the place occupied by the old pulpit. It was set out by Luther Wright, father of the one previously mentioned, not long after the building was taken down.
The elm which stands nearly in front of the recent site of the First Church, was set out when quite small, by Zadok Danks, then nearly ninety years of age, who ob- tained it somewhere in the Manhan meadows. This is an interesting circumstance, and it would not be inappropriate if the name of this public benefactor should be borne up in the tree which he planted.
On the 14th of January, 1856, Luther Wright and wife celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of their marriage. It was an occasion of unusual interest, and such an one as rarely occurs. Rev. Payson Williston who married them, and who survived the celebration only about two weeks, was present, as were also four others, who attended the marriage sixty years before.
DEED OF SCHOOL MEADOW.
It may be interesting to many to know that the deed of School Meadow, which the town of Northampton gave to Stephen Wright and Benjamin Lyman, is still in exist- ence. Such is its connection with the early settlement of the town, as to justify the insertion of some portion of it here, particularly that part relating to the boundaries of the tract. It reads as follows :-
" To all persons to whom these presents shall come, Greeting :-- Know ye that we, John Stoddard, Ebenezer Pomroy, and Timot'y Dwight, all of Northampton, in the County of Hampshire, in His
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Majesty's province of Massachusetts Bay, in New England, a committee appointed by the town of Northampton to make sale of the seques- tered land that lies on both sides of the Manhand river, between the county road across said river, above Bartlett's mills, and the Pomroy land, for and in consideration of the sum of sixteen hundred and twenty-five pounds, in bills of Public Credit, Old Tenor, secured to the town of Northampton by Dea. Stephen Wright and Benjamin Lyman, both of Northampton, aforesaid, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, and in said capacity we, the said Stoddard, Pomroy, and Dwight, are fully contented and satisfied, do therefore acquit said Stephen Wright and Benjamin Lyman, of all dues and demands whatsoever, on account of said land excepting Public Se- curity, have, in the capacity aforesaid, given, granted, bargained, and sold, and by these presents do freely, fully, and absolutely give, grant, bargain, sell, convey, and confirm to them, the said Stephen Wright and Benjamin Lyman, and to their heirs and assigns forever, (viz.), one half to be his, the said Stephen Wright, to his heirs and assigns forever, and the other half to the said Benjamin Lyman, his heirs and assigns forever, the whole of the above mentioned tract or parcel of sequestered land which is more particularly bounded as follows, (viz.) :- It is land that was formerly sequestered by the town for the school, bounded eastwardly by the place where Filer's Brook former- ly emptied itself into Manhand river, and from thence it extends up Manhand river on both sides, as far westwardly as to land laid out to Thomas Dewey, on the north side of the river, now belonging to Eldad Pomroy. The upland on the north side of the meadow is to extend westwardly as far as to the home lot of Caleb Pomroy, de- ceased, bounded southerly by the brow of the hill on the south side of School Meadow, and northerly by the highway running west on the south side of the Long Division, extending westerly to Pomroy's land, which highway is to remain from Filer's Brook, aforesaid, which, (or Saw-mill brook as it is sometimes called;) as it now runs to the top of the hill on the level land or plain, and then to turn northerly to the highway on the south side of the Long Division."
The remaining portion is very similar to what may be found in any deed at the present day, and contains no points of special interest ..
This instrument was executed on the 28th of May, 1745, in the presence of Preserved Clapp, Nathaniel Dwight, and Timothy Dwight, Jr.
CHAPTER IX.
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THE CIVIL WAR.
To write the history of the town, as it relates to the civil war so recently closed, is a duty both joyous and sad. We rejoice to speak of the patriotism of our citizens, of the heroic achievements and self sacrificing spirit of those who participated in it, and of the part, which we as a community, had in defending the institutions transmitted to us by our fathers ; but we are saddened, as we record the names and deeds and deaths of some of our noblest young men, who were possessed of sterling character, patriotic devotion, high and consistent regard for truth and right, and steadfast purpose to serve their day and generation wherever Providence might call them. Doubt. less He, who directs the affairs of men to the accomplish- ment of His own grand designs, knew how they could best subserve the object of their existence ; but as we recall their many virtues, and the promise of usefulness they gave, we cannot but mourn their early death. It is, moreover, a difficult task to weigh out equal justice to every one. Our desire is to deal fairly by all, and to speak of the service performed by each in different fields, without instituting any invidious comparison as to the relative value or merit of those services.
In the time of the Revolutionary War, of Shay's rebel-
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lion, and of the war of 1812, our population was not nu- merous, and, though our part was faithfully performed, the number of men called for was by no means large, while, in the Revolutionary war only, was much real military ser- vice performed. Only a few can now remember the drafts then made upon us. None of our inhabitants engaged in the Mexican war, a war which was the result of a meas- ure obnoxious to the greater part of the people. Fifty years of undisturbed peace had rendered us unfamiliar with the arts and paraphernalia of war. In the earlier portion of this period, there were, it is true, military com- panies and parade days; but these had entirely ceased, and few of those in early life had ever seen a militia soldier. We thought that our nation stood strong. Though other nations might be rent by civil commotions or foreign war, we hoped that we might be exempt. But the time was approaching when war, in its numberless forms of horror, was to become to us an actual reality.
It would be needless to detail the events preceding and attendant upon the election of President Lincoln in the autumn of 1860, the secret plots of traitors, and the tem- porizing of President Buchanan during the remainder of his administration, the attempts upon the life of the President-elect, his inauguration, and the vigorous though conciliatory policy which he adopted, the development of secret treachery into open revolt in the attack upon Fort Sumter, and the subsequent grand uprising of the peo- ple. All these events are still fresh in our memories, and will there remain fixed. We remember well the days of eager expectancy and intense excitement which succeeded the issue of the call for 75,000 volunteers, when the nation's capital seemed to be surrounded by its enemies, and all open communication with it suspended.
We did not then think that we were entering upon a
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protracted struggle of four long, terrible years. We did not think that the call for men was to be so oft repeated. We did not know that the remorseless hand of war was to enter almost every home, and that from many of these homes some loved one was to fall a sacrifice. In wisdom the future was hidden from our sight. A short time passed, and it became apparent that 75,000 men, in three months, could not quell a rebellion, which was from day to day assuming more gigantic proportions. Accordingly, a call was issued by the President for the enlistment of men for a three years' term.
The first to respond to this call were James H. Clark, who joined the second Mass. regiment, commanded by Col. Gordon, Roland Williston, who had but recently come into the place, and perhaps was not credited to the town, and who also joined the second Mass. regiment, Gustavus W. Peabody, Edward Graves, and Henry L. Ferry, who enlisted in the 10th regiment at the time of its formation. Henry L. Ferry was a member of the reg- iment about eighteen months, taking part in Mcclellan's peninsular campaign. He was at last discharged on ac- count of poor health. At a subsequent period however, he joined the 31st Mass. regiment, and remained with them until they were mustered out. Gustavus W. Pea- body retained his connection with the regiment so long as it continued in the service, and was with it in most of its battles, though absent a short time in consequence of a wound in the arm received at the battle of Salem Heights.
Albert S. Gove, Salmon H. Lyman, and Richard Good- sell, went to New York, and enlisted in a regiment known as the Anderson Zouaves. Of these three, the first men- tioned went through the whole three years of his enlist- ment without a wound, although he was in many, if not all of the battles in which the army of the Potomac were
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engaged, up to the time of his discharge. For a portion of the time, he was engaged in detached service at the headquarters of Gen. Wheaton. Salmon H. Lyman, after serving about one year, was taken sick and died. Before his sickness he was with McClellan, on the Peninsula, and fought at the battle of Williamsburg.
These, hitherto named, enlisted in the early part of the year. The summer wore away, and the call came for more men. The 27th regiment was mustering at Springfield. Its ranks must be filled, and we must come forward to aid. Efforts were made to procure enlistments, and the follow- ing men from this town enrolled their names :- Thomas Bolton, Lafayette Clapp, Alvin W. Clark, George P. Clark, William P. Derby, Charles D. Fish, Sylvester S. Hooper, John H. Judd, Frederick P. Stone, Justus Lyman, Thaddeus Lyman. The last mentioned of these did not, however, long remain in the regiment, owing to a severe sickness which attacked him soon after going into camp.
These men joined Co. A, and were mustered into the service Sept. 20, 1861. They left Camp Reed, Nov. 2d, and went to Annapolis, Md., where they joined the forces gathering under Gen. Burnside. With his expedition they sailed, and assisted in the capture of Roanoke Island, Feb. 8, 1862, and afterwards in the battle and capture of Newbern. Of these just mentioned, William P. Derby was appointed to a position in the post office, which he retained during his period of enlistment. Lafayette Clapp was detailed for hospital service, and remained at Newbern, part of the time only with the regiment, until near the close of the war. The latter part of the time he was employed in connection with the Sanitary Commission and White Refugee Department. The others followed the fortunes of the regiment. For a long time they were required to do garrison and provost duty in and about Newbern,
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though on one occasion they engaged in an expedition to Goldsboro, and also at other times on difficult marches. They also shared in the defense of Little Washington, during a protracted siege of seventeen days,-a siege most gallantly and successfully sustained. In the summer of 1862 they received a considerable accession to their number, from those who volunteered, in response to a call of the President for 300,000 men.
Those who went from this place were William Bly, Henry Braman, Oliver A. Clark, George A. Hill, Lyman A. Howard, Elisha C. Lyman, Patrick Murphy, Ezra O. Spooner, Spencer C. Wood. To these may be added Henry Lyman, who although he was not counted on our quota, was a native of this town, and held the same place in the regard of the community which the others did. For about a year he performed faithfully the duties of a Chris- tian soldier. In the summer of '63, he sickened and died at Newbern. Elisha C. Lyman, another of this number, joined Co. A, in which he already had a brother ; but his military career, though heartily entered upon, was to be short. He died at Newbern, Dec. 26, 1862. Spencer C. Wood remained in the army but a short time, in consequence of sickness, which led him to obtain a discharge.
In the winter of 1863-'4, the regiment was trans- ferred to the department of Gen. Butler in Eastern Vir- ginia, and spent the winter at Norfolk and Portsmouth. In the spring, our men took part in the advance of Butler up the James. For several days they were engaged in fighting along the railroad between Richmond and Peters- burg. On the 16th of May, while fighting at Drury's Bluff, many of the regiment, including the greater part of Co. A, were taken prisoners, having been surrounded by the enemy, whose movements were concealed by a
10
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dense fog. The following soldiers from this town were captured :- Thomas Bolton, Henry Braman, Alvan W. Clark, Oliver A. Clark, Sylvester S. Hooper, Lyman A. Howard, John H. Judd, Justus Lyman, Patrick Murphy, Edward Merrigan, Ezra O. Spooner, Frederick P. Stone. To this list of captured may be added the name of Rufus Robinson, who although at the time of his enlistment he was living in Southampton, and counted on their quota, yet had for a number of years previously resided in this town. He had joined the regiment only a short time before the advance up the Peninsula.
J. H. Judd, who had been promoted from sergeant to first lieutenant, was at the time in command of Co. A, and Justus Lyman, who had received a similar promotion and had been assigned to another company, were confined two weeks in Libby Prison, and then sent successively to Macon, S. C., Charleston, and Columbia, S. C., and Char- lotte, N. C. On the 16 th of February, 1865, after having been confined nine months, Lieut. Judd, in company with a few others, made his escape, and, after meeting with various adventures, reached a place of safety with a Union man, until the advance of Sherman about that time, brought relief. Lieut. Lyman was exchanged about the time of Lieut. Judd's escape. He retained his con- nection with the army until the close of the war, before which time he received a captain's commission.
· The other prisoners were taken to Andersonville, which place they reached May 30. In this den of horrors they were confined, and endured, as long as life lasted, those sufferings and tortures which have stamped with infamy the rebel cause, and which for magnitude and enormity, stand almost unrivalled in the record of human atrocities. Of the number sent here, five died. Their names were as follows : Oliver A. Clark, Alvin W. Clark, Ezra O.
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THE CIVIL WAR.
Spooner, Frederick P. Stone, Rufus Robinson. The others were released at last, and permitted to return home.
In the fall of 1861, after the men who had joined the 27th regiment had gone, enlistment rolls were opened to obtain men for Gen. Butler, who was then raising a regi- ment in the western part of the state. The following men enrolled their names, and went into camp at Pittsfield : Theodore E. Bartlett, Amasa Braman, Joseph U. Braman, Leonard Braman, William Bryant, Egbert I. Clapp, Mar- tin S. Dodge, Albert H. Ford, Samuel D. Gould, Chaun- cey A. Hendrick, William Hickey, John Leavitt, Almon S. Ludden, James F. Mahar, William Newton, Wilbur H. Purdy, Henry V. Rich, Fordyce A. Rust, Charles S. Rust, Richard Wright.
Of these, A. S. Ludden, being unable to leave the state in consequence of sickness, was discharged. Theodore E. Bartlett and William H. Purdy were with the regiment only during the early part of its career. Richard Wright was discharged. Chauncey A. Hendrick was taken sick, and returned home, where he died shortly after his arrival. William Hickey was killed in battle at Camp Bisland. The others served out all, or nearly all, the three years.
F. A. Rust went as 1st Sergeant of Co. B, but was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, and transferred. Charles S. Rust went out as Sergt., was detailed as Quarter- master Sergt., and finally was appointed Quartermaster, with the rank of 1st Lieut. On the promotion of Lieut. Rust, Egbert I. Clapp was appointed Quartermaster Sergt., and before the expiration of his term of service received the commission of 2nd Lieut. M. S. Dodge, Orderly Sergt., was on detached service a part of the time at Gallop's Island.
The military history of the regiment may be said to be
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HISTORY OF EASTHAMPTON.
that of the others. They went out with Gen. Butler, and were the first Union soldiers to enter New Orleans. For a time they were employed in garrisoning Fort Jackson. They were in the battle of Camp Bisland, took part in the march through the Teche country, and were engaged at Port Hudson during all the siege of that stronghold. After this they participated in the Red River campaign of Gen. Banks, during which they were engaged in the bat- tles of Cane River, Pleasant Hill, Pine Bluff, Sabine Cross Roads, Bynam's Mills, Gov. Moore's Plantation, and Yel- low Bayou.
This season their term of service expired, and of them the following re-enlisted and were allowed a furlough home :- William Bryant, Egbert I. Clapp, Martin S. Dodge, Albert H. Ford, John Leavitt, James F. Mahar, William Newton, Charles S. Rust, Samuel D. Gould, the last of whom was wounded at the battle of Pleasant Hill. In the fall of 1864, those who did not re-enlist came home, while those who did re-enlist remained till the close of the war. In the early part of 1865, they were ordered to Florida, and afterwards to Mobile, where they were stationed as provost guard until the regiment returned.
The summer of 1862 came, and with it a call for 300,000 more. The question of duty to country was com- ing more and more closely home to every man. A new regiment, the 37th, was being raised in this section, and a number entered it, though the men who volunteered at this time had the privilege of being assigned to any other regiment which they should elect. It was at this time that the men before mentioned as recruits for the 27th, enlisted. The others who volunteered were William Bartlett, Marshal Blythe, H. Bodisco Chapman, Charles H. Clark, David Fahey, Andrew J. Ferrell, Andrew J. Hill, Daniel Kane, Alpheus W. Parsons. Qf. this num-
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THE CIVIL WAR.
ber, the last named was taken sick not long after entering the service, and was discharged. H. B. Chapman remain- ed for a longer period, but was finally discharged. Chas. H. Clark was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, where he served till the close of the war. Daniel Kane died the first winter out, while in camp at Falmouth. Only four, A. J. Ferrell, A. J. Hill, David Fahey, and Marshal Blythe, remained with the regiment till it was mustered out. The honorable course and hard service of the 37th are well known. They were with the Army of the Potomac most of the time, when not in the Shenan- doah valley with Gen. Sheridan. The four named were in nearly, or quite, all the following battles, while some of the others were in the earlier ones :-
Fredericksburg, Salem Heights, Mary's Hill, Gettys- burg, Mine Run, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Coal Harbor, Petersburg, Fort Stevens, Charlestown, Opequan, Hatch- er's Run, Fort Fisher, Petersburg, Saylor's Creek. The last two of these engagements were those fought in the final contest with the forces of Gen. Lee.
Scarcely had the call for three years' men been met, when a draft for 300,000 nine months' men was ordered. The quotas of the different towns in the state were made out, that of this town being about forty. The number was nearly twice as great as had gone on any previous occasion, and many who had heretofore shrank from the sacrifice, and hoped that the great conflict might pass without demanding their aid, now felt that the call of duty came to them. Efforts were made to procure en- listments so as to avoid the necessity of a draft. Public meetings were held for several successive evenings, until, at last, the requisite number had enrolled themselves. This was about September 1. They remained at their homes however, until the 1st of October, on which day 10%
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HISTORY OF EASTHAMPTON ..
they assembled at the depot, and took their departure for Camp Miller, Greenfield. Our men, together with those from Hatfield, Southampton, and Westhampton, consti- tuted Company K, which was assigned to the left of the regiment.
The names of those from Easthampton, were as follows : 1st Lieut. Lewis Clapp, Commissary. Lewis S. Clark, Whit- ney F. Alvord, Lyman H. Bartlett, Clinton Bates, Frank L. Boehm, Charles L. Boehm George M. Clapp, William E. Clapp, Edmund W. Clark, Frederick C. Colton, Charles W. Dawes, Edward M. Ferry, S. Williston Graves, James T. Graves, Henry F. Gridley, Joseph K. Hull, Edwin E. Janes, Charles W. Johnson, John G. Keppel, Albert A. Lyman, Charles H. Lyman, Daniel W. Lyman, John W. Lyman, Samuel K. Matthews, Lucius E. Parsons, Herbert WV. Pomeroy, William W. Poole, Stephen W. Pierce, Alfred S. Shaw, George W. Shaw, B. Milton Smith, William G. Taylor, Lorenzo D. Trask, Lewis P. Wait, Charles L. Webster, Enoch E. Wood, Newton Wood, Luther L. Wright,
The first member of the company, and indeed of the regiment, who died, was Lewis P. Wait, who was in camp but about two weeks, and died one month from his first day in camp. The attendance of the company at his fu- neral was an occasion of melancholy interest, and will not soon be forgotten. Another occasion of deep interest was that of the presentation, in behalf of the Sabbath Schools, of a pocket edition of the Testament and Psalms, to every man. On the 20th of November, they broke camp at Greenfield, and started for New York. Many of their friends met them at Northampton, where they stopped a few moments, and bade them a tearful, to some, a last farewell. They were a noble body of men, and left a void in our community more felt, because larger, than any
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which had been left before. Yet, men as noble, patriotic, and true, had gone before, and had been missed in our community-men whose sacrifice and risk were greater, from the longer term of service upon which they entered. Arriving at New York, they soon joined the forces of Gen. Banks, encamped on Long Island. On the 2d of December, they set sail for Ship Island arriving there the 13th, sailed up the Mississippi, and'landed at Baton Rouge the 18th, where they spent nearly three months. Most of them participated in the first march to Port Hudson. On the 27th of March, they left Port Hudson for Brashear City, took part in the march of Gen. Banks through the Teche country, and were left at Barre's Landing to guard the post, while the main army went on to Alexandria. On its investment of Port Hudson, they were ordered to join the besièging forces, and marched to Berwick Bay, a distance of one hundred and twenty-six miles, in five days and two hours, and the last fifty-three miles in twenty- eight consecutive hours. Not long after they had rejoined the army they took part in the unsuccessful Sabbath assault on the enemy's works, June 14th. On this day, one of them, Daniel W. Lyman, lost his life by a ball from a rebel sharpshooter. They remained until the surrender of the place, July 8th, soon after which they started up the Mississippi on their return home, being the first regiment to sail up that river after its opening. They arrived at home on the 3d of August, and were mustered out the 14th. This notice of the doings of Co. K, is substantially the history of our thirty-eight men, and is given in this way to avoid repetition, though some, from sickness, did not participate in the active service of the campaign. Alfred S. Shaw was taken sick and did not go out with the regiment.
In the autumn of 1862, about the time of the enlist-
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ment of the 52d regiment, Alonzo S. King enlisted in the navy, and was assigned to the Henry Hudson, which was stationed off the coast of Florida. He remained a year, during which time he performed faithful service.
The following persons were members of the 1st Mass. cavalry :-- Asa S. Strong, Frank Hoyt, John Kinloch, Edwin Fahey, William Dehill, James Newton, the latter of whom remained in the service only about two years. John Kinloch was taken prisoner twice, and the last time was confined at Salisbury for six months. Thomas O'Donnell enlisted in the winter of 1863-4, and joined this regiment and from this time was with the regiment in every battle which it fought till the war was over. Ed- win Fahey was taken prisoner during the operations of the cavalry on the Weldon Railroad, and was sent to Andersonville, where he remained nine months.
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