USA > Massachusetts > History of Massachusetts, for two hundred years: from the year 1620 to 1820 > Part 15
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General Abercrombie passed Lake George ; and on landing at the northern borders, some distance from Ticonderoga, which he proposed first to attack, he sent forward a large detachment of 7000 men. But they were obliged to make their way through a wilderness without paths, where they were met by a party of the enemy, whom they attacked, and slew or captured the greater part. . This affair, otherwise not very important, be- came memorable by the death of Lord Howe, a British nobleman, who was in the detachment, who, though young, had attained a character of uncommon celebrity for his bravery and virtue .* The detachment returned to the main army, which soon after advanced to attack Ticonderoga, as had been proposed. After sending out small parties for discovery, by which, however, he seemed to have been misinformed, he resolved to storm the fort. It was a place of great strength, and was well manned; and, although he made a gallant assault, he found it necessary to retire to his former station. The loss sustained by the Eng- lish on this occasion, was 1800 men, and many valuable milita- ry articles.
The enemy, however, did not discover any plan of acting offensively, and Colonel Bradstreet, of the provincial troops, was directed by General Abercrombie, having himself proposed
* Major (afterwards General) Israel Putnam, who, with Major John Stark, were then brave partisan officers, and after acting with Major Rogers in the corps of Rangers, accompanied Lord Howe at this time. He proposed to go forward to ascertain the strength of the enemy's party which had been discovered, and Lord Howe insisted on joining him. Putnam objected in vain, saying that his own life was of little value, but that his lordship's was too valuable to be thus exposed. Howe replied, that life must be as dear to Putnam as to himself. Massachusetts voted £250 for the erection of a monument in Westminster Abby, to the memory of this accomplished and gallant nobleman.
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the enterprise, to march to Lake Ontario, with three thousand provincial troops, and one hundred British regulars ; and thence to proceed against Fort Frontenac, near the north part of the Lake and the River St. Lawrence. The enterprise was attend- ed with complete success. He surprised and captured the garrison, with little opposition ; and destroyed nine vessels, and other property, which fell into his hands ; but soon returned, as it was reported a large party of the enemy were advancing against him.
The expedition against Louisbourg, mean time, was prosecu- ted with vigor, as had been proposed. It vas invested by large naval and land forces, the latter commanded by General Am- herst ; and after a few days of judicious and vigorous assault it surrendered to the British. General Amherst arrived in Bos- ton, from this expedition, in September, and hearing of the disastrous repulse at Lake George and vicinity, he hastened to Albany, to take on himself command of the army in that quarter, and give all possible aid for efficient action or defence ; but it was thought to be too late in the season to undertake another expedition at that time ; it being the opinion of military men of experience and judgment, that it would require great caution and circumspection, as well as courage, to be successful. The troops were also liable to fever and ague, and other sick- ness, at that season, near the lakes.
Besides the men killed by the enemy, many of the Massa- chusetts troops died by sickness ; and the expenses, incurred by the province for the campaign, were a heavy burden to the people. But, with all this loss of life and treasure, there was such a desire to prevent the inroads of the French, and to drive them from Canada, that the general court readily consented, at the request of the British ministry, to raise 6,500 men, for another expedition, in 1759; in the expectation, however, that compensation would be made eventually by the English gov- ernment. But a part of these were to be stationed at Penob- scot, as a guard to those engaged in building a fort on that river ; and it was also agreed, that such as chose might enter the British naval service. Several hundred of these men enlisted on board the English ships; and 2500 served at Louisbourg, to supply the place of British troops, who were required for the fleet ordered to Quebec.
The plan of proceedings was in a great measure conformable to that pursued the preceding year. The conquest of Canada being the great object, it was arranged, that a naval force should ascend the St. Lawrence, and an army advance by Lake Champlain. As a preliminary measure, it was agreed that the
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main land forces under General Amherst, should attack Ticon- deroga and Crown Point, and a detachment fall on the fortress at Niagara. The fleet, with General Wolfe and the troops under his command, arrived near Quebec, in the month of June. Much time was spent in ascertaining the proper place and mode of attack, and in preparing for an efficient and vigor- ous assault on the city, which was well fortified, and very diffi- cult of approach. In one skirmish, which could not well be avoided, 500 men were killed and taken, and General Wolfe was some weeks suffering by severe sickness. In September, after a consultation with his officers, he concluded to make the attack, dangerous and desperate as it appeared. To one of his gallant bearing, there was no other alternative. The issue was doubtful for several hours, but British coolness and bravery united, at length decided the gallant conflict. The command- ing generals of both armies were slain in the battle. Both were brave, and both distinguished for military talents. The English and American people have honored the memory of Wolfe, as one of the first among a host of military heroes. This brilliant affair afforded just cause of joy and courage to the New England colonies and to the whole British empire.
Meanwhile, General Amherst was advancing on Canada, by the way of Lake Champlain. Ticonderoga and Crown Point were successively abandoned by the enemy, as he approached, after destroying much of the valuable property, which could not be easily taken with them. They made a stand at the northern part of the lake, and Amherst proposed to pursue them. But he had no vessels or boats for the transportation of his troops, and it was impossible to march by land through a perfect wil- derness. Vessels were ordered to be built ; but it was so late, when they were finished, that the attempt to reach them was in vain. The tempestuous weather prevented the progress of the boats, and several of them were wrecked and lost in the enterprise ; which was soon after abandoned, for that season. One of the vessels built at this time, was a brigantine ; which was afterwards despatched by General Amherst, to make dis- covery of the force and condition of the enemy. She gave them some annoyance, but it was too late to continue in that climate. Major Rogers, with two hundred rangers, was order- ed to fall on the village of the St. Francois Indians, on the south side of St. Lawrence, and who had made most of the depredations on the frontier settlements of New England, for many preceding years. He was accustomed to this sort of warfare, and to travelling through the thick forests like the Indians themselves. An event occurred on his way, which
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obliged him to send back fifty or sixty of his party; but he proceeded with the remaining one hundred and fifty, and attack- ed the village, at an carly hour in the morning, when they had no notice of his approach, and destroyed the settlement, and slew or dispersed the whole population. At the present day, such an act of cruelty would be severely reprobated. But it was then viewed in a different light: it was called just retalia- tion for former cruelties and butcheries, perpetrated by that tribe and its savage allies.
The people of Massachusetts had reason to complain of the British military commanders, that the soldiers were not always discharged when their term of enlistment expired. In 1759, those employed at Louisbourg, and on board the fleet, were detained long after the time for which they engaged to serve had elapsed. This made them averse from entering into the naval service, and insist, as they usually did, that they should not be united with British regular troops, but be kept in sepa- rate corps, and under provincial officers. They had an antipathy to mercenary soldiers ; and though ready to engage in military service, for the defence of the country, they never wished to lose the character of citizens. They wished, indeed, to retain the distinctive character of militia; and they seldom enlisted, except for the season. To this general fact, however, there were, no doubt, a few exceptions.
The general court was so much occupied, on the dangers which threatened from the French and Indians, at this period, that there was less dispute and disagreement with Governor Pownall, than there had been with several of his predecessors. And he was not of a disposition to seek occasions for collision or controversy. It was his resolution, no doubt, to be a faithful servant of the crown ; but he was not eager to push the claims of prerogative, when the exigency did not require it. While he was in the chair, the requisitions on the general court were made directly by the British commanders-in-chief, or, through him, by the ministry in England; and with these calls, being for men and means, as well for their own welfare as that of the parent gov- ernment, they were ready to comply, without hesitation, to the extent of their ability ; still having a regard for the rights of the people, and laying no greater burden than the occasion de- manded. The people were subject to heavy burdens, and they bore them cheerfully, as well from a true spirit of loyalty, as from a regard to their own safety and liberty. For six suc- cessive years, they provided men and money in the war against the French, and received only a partial reimbursement fron the parent state, though they were promised recompense at a future day.
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The burdens of the people were so great, and so many the embarrassments of navigation, during this protracted period of war, that the debtors were very numerous, both among the land holders and the merchants. The merchants were in the habit of having large credits for goods in England; and the state of the country prevented their remittances, as they had formerly done. An insolvent act was passed by the general court, in 1757, for the relief of debtors ; but it was necessary, by the provisions of the charter, that the king should approve of it, to render it complete and valid. When it was laid before the king, he referred it to the lords of trade, for their opinion, and they said, that, though they approved of the principle of the bill, and admitted the propriety of a bankrupt, or insolvent law, they apprehended some injustice from such a law in the province ; because, while it operated favorably to the creditors there, those in England might suffer. The king, therefore, de- clined giving it his approbation.
Mr. Pownall was succeeded by Mr. Bernard, in the winter of 1659-60, and appointed Governor of South Carolina. After Governor Pownall's departure, and before the arrival of Gov- ernor Bernard, who was removed from the administration of New Jersey, Mr. Hutchinson, being lieutenant governor, dis- charged the duties of chief magistrate of Massachusetts. As the governor was soon expected, he prudently declined acting further than attending to the ordinary service of the station. It had already been determined to make another attempt against Montreal, and other parts of Canada, in the hands of the French. Mr. Pett called for the same forces as were raised the two seasons previously, and urged the importance of the object; at the same time promising compensation, accord- ing to the efforts which might be made. In January, 1760, the general court ordered, that five thousand men should be raised ; and they also voted to allow a bounty to the men who had been detained in Nova Scotia,* and at Louisbourg, after their term of service had expired. It was difficult, however, to raise the number ordered. Only three thousand three hun- dred of the five thousand could be enlisted ; which, even
* The Governor of Nova Scotia made honorable mention of the exertions. of Colonel Thomas and his officers, (from Massachusetts,) in quieting the men who were held beyond the time of their enlistment. It was an arbi- trary act in the British commander, and yet he attempted to justify his con- duct, by saying that the men could not be spared, and must not go till he chose to discharge them. The families of the men suffered much in their absence ; but the general court, protesting against their detention, voted to give a bounty, which was generally applied for the relief of their wives and children.
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reckoning the seven hundred, in garrison at Louisbourg and Nova Scotia, amounted only to four thousand, in the whole, which were in service from the province in that year ;* ex- cepting, indeed, several small parties to keep up the forts at Penobscot, St. Georges, and two on Kennebec River; two at Hoosuck, one at Colraine, and one at Claremont. Both Gov- ernor Pownall, before he left the chair, and Mr. Hutchinson, then lieutenant governor, after his departure, urged upon the general court the importance of complying with the requisitions of the British minister and General Amherst, as a great effort was to be made for the entire conquest of Canada, and it would probably be the last year of the war. In promising to make every exertion which the condition of the province and the people would permit, they expressed a wish, that the British ministry might be informed of the expensive efforts already made, and order some pecuniary relief. Governor Pownall promised to press their plea, and to bear testimony to their loyalty. His policy in his intercourse with the general court, was dictated by a full knowledge of the views and temper of the people ; and he wisely adopted a mild spirit in all his com- munications. The temper of his successor was less mild, or less wisely controlled, and his conduct contrasted very unfavor- ably with the deportment of Governor Pownall. But the former was the representative of the king, at a period when the vexed questions of the prerogative of the crown, and of the pow- ers rightfully to be exercised by the provincial government under the charter, were continually occurring : and Mr. Bernard was never wanting in zeal for the king, or in a disposition to main- tain all the supposed powers of his office: while the latter presided at a time when other important subjects occupied the constant attention of the government. And he found that he could discharge his duty to the crown, without engaging in bitter controversy with the general court. He was also econo- mical in the expenditure of public money intrusted to him for the common defence and ordinary affairs of the executive ; and he proposed plans for preventing speculators preying upon the soldiers, for whose sufferings he ever manifested a strong sym- pathy.+
* On a call from General Amherst, in May, it was voted to raise five hundred more.
+ Mr. Pownall was a gentleman of gaiety and show, and he spared no- thing in the expenses of his table. Yet he was a rigid economist, when acting as the agent of the public. He had a more correct view of the na- ture of the colonial charters than any other governor, except Mr. Hutchin- son ; and though a foreigner by birth, he construed inore favorably, or was more friendly to the grants of power to the people by their charters, than the latter.
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The object of the campaign, this year, was the reduction of Montreal, which was the most important place in the hands of the French ; for if that could be taken, all Canada would come under the British government. A large force was to advance on that place, by Lake Ontario and thence by the St. Law- rence; and another detachment, by Lake Champlain. Gen- eral Amherst commanded the first, consisting chiefly of British regular troops; while the other, in which were most of the pro- vincials, was under Colonel Haviland. A part of the plan was for General Murray and as many of the troops at Quebec as could be spared, to ascend the St. Lawrence, and join the other detachments near Montreal. But a large French force, either intending to recapture Quebec, or prevent a junction of the English forces near Montreal, advanced on the former, and, by his resolute and judicious efforts, the French commander gave full employment to the British general for several weeks, in de- fending the city. He was repulsed, however, and General Mur- ray, with a large part of the British troops, marched to Montreal. The several detachments reached the vicinity of Montreal, within two days of one another; and this united force was so formidable, that the French general, who commanded there, soon surrendered.
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CHAPTER X.
Dispute between the House and Council-Expenses of war and loss of lives -Schools and Colleges-New Troops raised-Dispute with Governor- Claims of House and of the Governor-Customs-Collector sued-Mr. Otis-Mr. Hutchinson-Writs of Assistance-Excitement on the occa- sion-Gold Coin-Wilkes-Whig and Tory-State of the Province at the peace of 1763-Views of Ministers-Census-Plan to tax the Province -Controversy on Episcopacy.
THE pertinacity of the house of assembly in contending for authority, as the more immediate representatives of the people, even against the council chosen by themselves, may be seen in their insisting on the formal consent of that board, to the report on the Treasurer's accounts, which they had approved, without allowing the council to examine into the correctness of the re- port. The house had been in the practice of asking and receiv- ing the official sanction of the board to these reports, merely on the examination and approval of the former. The council con- sidered this improper, and required an inspection of the docu- ments, and the means of knowing whether the report was cor- rect. The house pleaded usage, as well as a right, to keep the treasury accounts under their own control. The reply of the council was, that if the house were the sole judge in the case, and had justly the entire management of the treasury, then it could not be necessary for the board to testify its formal appro- bation; and that if their concurrence was proper, they must first have an opportunity of making a decision according to the facts and the examination of the accounts. The house at last yielded, in effect, but they so framed their vote on the subject as to avoid the appearance of giving up the point to the coun- cil. In this instance, the council seem to have been correct ; otherwise, they might be considered as giving their official con- sent to a decision of the other branch of the legislature, without inquiry and without full information. Whether there were some aspiring men in the assembly, or whether there was a general apprehension that the council were likely to be unduly influenced by the governor, with whom they were more closely connected in the administration, the representatives were always
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more jealous of encroachments on the rights of the people, and more ready to assert the authority of the legislature. It is a fact, fully proved by various occurrences, that the council gen- erally consented, or acquiesced in the proposals of the governor, while the representatives either wholly opposed or but partially conformed to his requests. The charge could not, indeed, be sustained, that the members of the council disregarded the rights of the people, or consented to demands prejudicial to the just authority of the legislature ; and yet they were seldom found in collision with the governors, or in decided opposition to his recommendations.
This long period of war not only brought a heavy debt on the province, but served to retard its population, and to check its prosperity .* The loss of five or six thousand men, within five years, must have prevented the settlement of new townships, and lessened the amount of agricultural products, which are necessary to augment the resources of a new country. Those who survived the war, returned to their homes with habits un- favorable to constant and laborious employment. The manners and dress of British officers, who were not always patterns of sobriety and economy, were often imitated ; and a great change was observable, in comparison with the frugality of former days. But the interests of learning and religion were not neglected by the legislators nor the people. The college, under the patronage of the government, was in a prosperous state; its graduates were thirty or thirty-five, annually. In most of the towns with two hundred families, and few had less, a grammar school was maintained; and the teacher was usually a graduate of the college. The laws of the province enjoined this important measure, and also required the settlement and support of learned ministers of religion. The benefits resulting to individuals and to the community, from these regulations, were incalculable. They served to maintain a healthy state of society, and gave to the population of New England a peculiar and distinctive character. By this wise regimen, men were trained up for the
* The expenses of Massachusetts, for five years, exceeded £400,000, be- yond the sums allowed by the British government. For the year 1761, the sum allowed as a reimbursement was, indeed, more than half, or nearly three fourths of the expense of the province for that year, for the military services; but for five years preceding, the allowance was not more than one half. A great portion of the men raised, were stationed on the frontiers, for defence ; and large sums were also expended in bounties, provisions and teams, for which no reimbursements were made. It was also the judgment of the parent government, that the colonies should bear a part of the expenses incurred for the common safety. For the year 1758, the whole expenses, for men in the army, in the forts, and other purposes, were £210,000 ; but a part was reimbursed by England.
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mighty struggle, which was soon then to ensue. Even then the schoolmaster was abroad in the community. The great body of the people had intelligence to understand their rights, as well as hardibood of character to defend them; and many became fitted to explain and vindicate civil liberty, against the plausible arguments of the corrupt and selfish advocates of arbi- trary power.
After the conquest of Canada, and the power of France was at an end in that quarter, a large military force was maintained in North America (1761) by the British government, as no treaty of peace had been concluded. The British regular troops, however, were mostly ordered on an expedition to the French islands, and Massachusetts raised three thousand men to take their places. Some objection was made to this requisi- tion, but after a few days debate and opposition, the measure was adopted. A similar requisition was made in 1762, with which there seems to have been a compliance without much opposition. A large bounty was also voted, this year, for nine hundred men to join the regular British forces ; who were en- listed with far less difficulty than in former years ; either be- cause the bounty offered was higher than usual, or they ex- pected little hard service, or that the people had become more fond of a military life.
The jealousy or the vigilance of the representatives, to pre- vent all encroachments on the rights of the people and to main- tain the principles for which they contended, was displayed, at this time, though in a case far less important than that which soon after justly excited so deep an interest, by a formal com- plaint of the conduct of the governor and council. In the recess of the court, the people of Salem and Marblehead, who were engaged in the fishery at the eastward, requested that two armed vessels might be sent for their protection, against the French ships in that quarter. The vessels were fitted out for the purpose, on the advice of the council; and the expense did not exceed £400. At the following session of the general court, the governor stated the case, and recommended that provision be made to cover that expense. The exigency of the occasion was a reasonable justification of the conduct of the executive. But the representatives protested against it ; pre- tending that their right of originating taxes, one of their greatest privileges, was taken away, and that it struck at the very exist- ence of the popular branch of the legislature. They protested against such a measure, as altogether arbitrary, and expressed a hope that no similar one would be again adopted. Some clauses in the message to the governor, was unnecessarily
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