History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 78

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 78

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Private Charles W. Stuart was killed in the first battle in which the Fifty-third engaged,-that of Fort Bisland.

In the spring of 1864 Mr. Josiah Spaulding, of this town, made a journey to Louisiana to procure the remains of these four men, was successful and soon returned with them in charge. The funeral occurred April 6, 1864, and the services were conducted by the various clergymen of the town, Rev. Alfred Emerson

preaching the sermon. A hymn, written for the oc- casion by Mrs. Caroline. A. Mason, concluded the services. Then, with martial solemnity, they were borne to the city of the dead " over the river," and laid to rest in their soldier graves.

Of the seventh and last soldier's funeral in Fitch- burg mention has already been made in the opening section of our war history. It was that of Lieutenant- Colonel George E. Marshall, of the Fortieth Regi- ment, and occurred April 19, 1866. The services were held in the town-hall, which was most beauti- fully and artistically decorated, and there was a large concourse of citizens aud organizations, both military and civic. Ex-Governor John A. Andrew, Governor Alexander H. Bullock and his staff and other offi- cials and several members of the Legislature occu- pied seats on the platform.

The exercises opened with the singing of a hymn, written for the occasion by Mrs. Mason ; Rev. Henry L. Joues, rector of Christ Church, delivered the funeral oration, and a brief but eloquent address was made by Governor Bullock. The remains were es- corted to the receiving tomb, where the casket was deposited, after which the customary salute was fired. In a grave on the hillside now repose the remains of Lieutenant-Colonel Marshall beside those of his brother, Sergeant Marshall; and the aged father still lives to tenderly care for and keep green the graves of his two noble sons who died in the preservation of the Union.

The writer painfully realizes that the story of Fitchburg's part in the Civil War has not been halt told in the few preceding pages. Only the briefest outline has been given. Those terrible years were filled with private sufferings, anguish, heart-rendings and sacrifices, a record of which has been preserved only in the Book of Life and the hearts of the suf- ferers ; no manuscript or printed page ever has por- trayed them, or ever will, in their real significance.

The writer feels that this sketch of the war, imper- fect as it is, ought not to be concluded without at least a brief mention of those of our citizens who fell vic- tims to the systematic inhumanity of rebel prisons. As far as is known, there were seven of these unfortu- nates from Fitchburg, as follows: Johu H. Prichard, died in the horrible prison-pen at Andersonville, January 18, 1865.

Charles E. Goodrich, who was only sixteen years old when he enlisted as a drummer-boy in the Twenty- first, was captured at the battle of the Wilderness and sent to Andersonville, where he was kept four months, until his robust frame wasted to a mere shadow of its former self, when he was sent to the foul prison at Florence, S. C., where he died in October, 1864.

William T. Peabody and Henry K. Hill were both captured at the Wilderness, and sent to prison. The former died at Andersonville, September 1, 1864, and the latter at Florence, but the date is unknown.

George P. Cotting was taken prisoner in the attack

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made by the rebels, May 16, 1864, on the Twenty- fifth Regiment while moving towards Richmond. He was sent to Andersonville, where he wasted away. He was finally exchanged, but was too much weakened to go further than Annapolis, where he died in the hospital.

William H. Hayden was in the navy, and was on the gun-boat "Granite City " when it was captured, May 8, 1864, while cruising up one of the bayous of Texas. He was taken to Galveston and died in a so- called "hospital " there, on September 16, 1864.

Cyrus Putnam was captured at Drury's Bluff in the same engagement in which Cotting was taken pris- oner. He was sent to Richmond, where the wound he had received, just previous to his capture, was neglected, and he died there after a lingering illness -how long we know not-a victim of man's inhn- manity to man.

A short account of the beautiful and costly memorial which Fitchburg erected in honor and commemora- tion of her fallen heroes seems to be a fitting termina- tion to our record of the war. We will therefore con- clude this section with a condensed history of the inception, construction and dedication of

THE SOLDIERS' MONUMENT .- Soon after the close of the war the question of building either a soldiers' monument or a memorial hall began to be agitated.

April 9, 1866, the town voted that a committee of five be appointed by the chair "to report the names of seven to constitute a committee on the subject of erecting a monument, as a sacred memorial to our citizens who fell in their country's service, during the late rebellion." The chair appointed as this commit- tee Messrs. L. H. Bradford, Ebenezer Torrey, William H. Vose, Amasa Norcross and George F. Fay, who presented the names of Alvah Crocker, George E. Towne, Eugene T. Miles, Lewis H. Bradford, Alpheus P. Kimball, Stephen Shepley and Henry A. Willis, and these seven gentlemen were duly constituted the Soldiers' Monument Committee, which was subse- quently organized by the choice of Mr. Crocker as chairman, and Mr. Bradford, secretary.

April 8, 1867, Mr. Towne made a verbal report for this committee and asked for further time, which was granted. It was also voted to add to the committee General John W. Kimball, Colonel Theodore S. Fos- ter and Walter A. Eames.

April 13, 1868, Mr. Shepley made an able and elo- qnent report for the committee and the town voted that "the Soldiers' Monument Committee be author- ized to purchase the two lots of land situated upon Main Street, owned by William W. Comee and Isaac Hartwell, and erect thereon a Soldiers' Monument at an expense not exceeding fifty thousand dollars, whenever twenty thousand dollars of the same shall have been raised by private subscription."

On the 28th of the same month it was voted to in- struct the committee to buy these two estates for forty thousand dollars, and to rent the buildings and estates

and sell the buildings as soon as the construction of the monument required it. These two estates were accordingly purchased for the sum named, and came into the hands of the Soldiers' Monument Committee, who rented them for some years.

April 12, 1869, Mr. Crocker made a report on the soldiers' monument, which was accepted and placed on file. It was then voted that a sum not exceeding forty thousand dollars be appropriated for a monu- ment, ten thousand dollars of which was to be raised by taxation the current year. At an adjourned meeting, May 3, 1869, this vote was rescinded in order to investigate the feasibility of erecting a memorial hall instead of a monument. A committee of nine, consisting of Frederick F. Woodward, Alvin A. Simonds, David H. Merriam, Gardner S. Burbank, Jabez Fisher, George Robbins, Edwiu P. Monroe, Hale W. Page and Edwin Upton, was appointed " to prepare and present plans and specifications, together with the estimated cost of a Memorial hall and report at a future meeting." The original com- mittee was not, by this action of the town, discharged or relieved of its trust, but, the appropriation having been withdrawn, it was decided best for the Monu- ment Committee not to proceed further until the Memorial Hall Committee had rendered a report. The investigations of this committee did not appear to be favorable to the Memorial Hall project. A verbal report was made on the matter, April 11, 1870, by David H. Merriam, which report was accepted and the committee discharged.

Meanwhile, in September, 1869, Ebenezer Torrey, town treasurer, was instructed to give a deed of right of passway over the Comee and Hartwell estates to the county of Worcester, on condition that the County Court-house be erected in the rear of these estates and front towards Main Street, "said right to con- tinue as long as said court-house shall remain stand- ing, as aforesaid." The right was duly conveyed and the court-house built very soon after, in accord- ance with the provision therein.

May 2, 1871, the town authorized the Monument Committee "to grade, fence and otherwise improve the lot in front of the court-house."

October 2, 1871, Mr. Crocker made a report to the town, and presented plans and designs for the pro- posed monument, all of which was accepted; and the Monument Committee was instructed "to proceed forthwith to carry out the designs and plans sub- mitted, at a cost not exceeding $25,000." In ac- cordance with this instruction the committee made the following contracts :

November 15, 1871, with Samuel A. Wheeler & Son, of Fitchburg, for the construction of the foundation to receive the granite superstructure and bronze statues.

April 1, 1872, with Martin Milmore, of Boston, who had furnished the designs accepted by the town the previons autumn, for the execution of the bronze statues and tablets.

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April 8, 1872, with Runels & Davis, of Lowell, to erect the superstructure of Concord granite.

Agreements were also entered into by the commit- tee with J. L. Roberts, of Boston, to furnish and erect a substantial iron fence around the enclosure, and with David Damon & Co., of Fitchburg, to execute the granite base for the fence and the steps at the two entrances to the park, both of which agreements were fulfilled in a manner creditable to the artisana and highly satisfactory to the committee.

There was a strong feeling among the citizens that the superstructure should be made of granite quarried from old Rollstone, a dear and familiar object to the eyes of the brave boys whose death the monument was to commemorate; and the members of the Soldiers' Monument Committee felt the claims of Rollstoue as deeply as did any of the other citizens. Unfortunately, however, at that stage of development of the Roll- stone quarries, the granite obtained was apt to contain here and there iron pyrites, and exposure to the weather caused staining of the granite in spots with iron. No contractor was willing to assume the respon- sibility of furnishing Rollstone granite that would keep unblemished by iron stains. 'It is gratifying to state that there has been much improvement in the granite in this respect since then; the deeper the quarry- men go, the cleaner and purer does the granite become. The committee, feeling that no blemish ought to mar their costly memorial, decided, much against their will and inclination, that Rollstone granite was out of the question as a material out of which to construct the superstructure, and fixed upon what is called "Concord " granite, as the stone best suited to the purpose.

Beginning with 1873, the city government replaced that of the town, and on January 28, 1873, it was ordered by the City Council that the Soldiers' Monu- ment Committee, appointed by the town, be continued as a committee of the City Council until the business for which it was appointed was completed.

Meanwhile the work on the various contracts was progressing, and on June 2, 1873, the Soldiers' Monu- ment Committee deposited within the die of the monument a box containing books, papers and docu- ments relating to the history of Fitchburg, its war history, copies of deeds and contracts relating to the monument, newspapers, fractional currency and coin then in use, etc., and a written report, signed by all the members of the Monument Committee save one or two who were absent from the city, of the action of the town and the work of the Soldiers' Monument Committee in regard to the erection of this memorial.

It was expected that the dedication would take place in the autumn of 1873, but an accident occurred in making the cast of the central bronze figure, " America," causing a necessary delay of four months. . It was then decided that June 17, 1874, should be the day, but unavoidable circumstances necessitated a further postponement of one week, and on June 24,

1874, the dedicatory exercises were held. Elaborate preparations were made for this event, and the City Council appropriated the sum of two thousand dollars for the occasion. Gen. John W. Kimball was ap- pointed chief marshal, and authorized to select mar- shals and aids. The gentlemen whom he appointed had all seen service in the war, and were as follows:

Marshals .- T. S. Foster, colonel, 21st Regiment ; Edwin Upton, col· onel, 25th Regiment ; C. H. Foss, captain, 25th Regiment, and senior past commander of Post 19, G. A. R. ; T. L. Barker, colonel, 36th Regi- ment; George Jewett, major, 51st Regiment; E. A. Brown, major, 53d Regiment ; Lavi Lawrence, captain, 57th Regiment ; G. T. Hayward, captain, 4th Regiment Heavy Artillery.

Aids .- George Lawrence, lieutenant, Ist Regiment ; Charles C. Walk- er, privata, 2d Regiment ; Edwin Newton, private, 10th Regiment ; Albert H. Andrews, major, 19th U. S. Infantry ; Russell O. Houghton, captain, 26th Regiment.

Bugler .- Edward R. Campbell, private, Ist Vermont Artillery.

The day of dedication was fine, there was a large attendance of citizens from neighboring towns and most of the business blocks and many private houses in the city were handsomely decorated. The pro- cession, which was an imposing one, was made up of ten divisions, and moved promptly at eleven o'clock ; and after passing through the principal streets, was, with the exception of the carriages, battery and fire apparatus, massed in Monument Square.

The exercises opened with the hymn, "Great Je- hovah, turn Thine eye," which was finely rendered by the Choral Union.

Rev. Dr. S. B. Grant then offered prayer, after which Hon. Alvah Crocker made a brief address of welcome, from which is taken the following extract :

My friends, I do not claim that Fitchburg, in character, tone and spirit, is above onr sister towns and municipalities, but I do claim with a population of 8000 souls, including 2000 able-bodied men, furnishing eight companies and a balance in isolated individual cases sufficient to mako a regiment of 1000 men, that there was the same spirit as in the Revolutionary War when she furnished the germ (in her letters to Bos- ton) of the immortal Declaration of Independence, that Bancroft alludes to, and can be read by any one, as when her old iron cannon, on the 19th of April, 1775, boomed the call to ber minute-men ; the same spirit as when Cupt. Bridge, with fifty men, before the metal was cold, was on his way, or " line of march," to Concord and Lexington, and was at Pit- cairn's heels before he got into Boston.

The report of the Soldiers' Monument Committee was then read by Capt. Eugene T. Miles. At the close of the report Capt. Miles presented the Soldiers' Monument to the city in the following words :

Mr. Muyor and Gentlemen of the City Council: Trusting implicitly in your patriotism, in your sympathy with the bereaved ones who to-day monrn the loss of dear ones who fell in the bloody conflict to sustain our liberties, in your trus love of country, in your integrity as munici- pal officere, nothing now remains but to commit to your cars and keep- ing, and through yon to the people of nur young city, this beautiful structure-the Soldiers' Monument-together with so much of its sur- ronndings as ara completed.

In the interests of those for whom they wers erected, care for them kindly, with fidelity and tenderly :

" For there are deeds which should not pass away, And names that must not wither."

At this time the monument was unveiled, salutes fired and patriotic music played by the eight bands present.

Hon. Amasa Norcross, mayor, then in a few well- chosen and eloquent remarks, accepted the Soldiera'

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Monument in behalf of the people of the city of Fitchburg.

A poem written for the occasion by Herbert Ingalls, Esq., was then read by Eli A. Hubbard, Esq., super- intendent of schools.

At the conclusion of the reading of the poem, Hon. Alvah Crocker introduced Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks, the orator of the day, who dellvered a stirring and eloquent address; and at its close Gen- eral Kimball stepped to the front of the platform and called for three army cheers for General Banks, which were given with a will. General Banks stepped forward, bowed and said: " Comrades, from my heart I thank you for your kind remembrance."

Thus was our memorial to the fallen Fitchburg soldiers dedicated; and since that day its stately, symmetrical and ornate form has been to the citizens of this place a sacred object, and well worthy the care and attention bestowed upon it and the beantifnl park whose centre it occupies.

We will close with a statement, in round numbers, of the total cost of the monument and park and a brief description of the monument. The statement in regard to the cost is taken from the report read at the dedication :

"Cost of lot, $40,000; granite base for fence, $3600 ; iron fence, $3000 ; foundation for monument, $2000; granite superstructure, $9000 ; bronze statues and tablets, $15,400; which, with the grading and miscellaneous expenditures, will make the total cost at least $75,000."

About ten thousand dollars were received for rent of the estates prior to the removal of the buildings thereon and from the sale of the buildings, and the net cost, without interest, was found to be $66,- 699.23.

The monument itself rests upon tiers of solid ma- sonry, so graduated as to form three broad steps on all sides of it. From this base rises the massive square shaft, broader at the base than at the top, to a height of some twenty feet above the level of the park. A large granite cap crowns the top of the shaft and bears the colossal bronze statue " America," holding in each hand a myrtle wreath, as if in the act of crowning the two large bronze statues on either side and below her. These two statues represent a soldier and sailor, respectively, and are placed on pedestals forming, on either side, a portion of the granite superstructure, their top being only a few feet above the level of the park. Though these magnifi- cant bronze statues were designed by Mr. Milmore, it is but just to state that they were made by the Ames Manufacturing Company, under the supervision of Mr. M. H. Mossman.

Into each side of the monument, just below the cap-stone, is let a large bronze tablet. The tablet, looking toward Main Street, bears upon it an inscrip- tion proclaiming that the monument is Fitchburg's tribute, not only to her brave sons who fell in battle,

but also to those who went forth and fought nobly for the "just cause," and were spared to return once more to the home of their youth. The tablets on the other three sides of the shaft are inscribed with the names of one hundred and thirty-five men who perished in the War of the Rebellion, and whom Fitchburg claims as belonging to her "Roll of Honor." The four tablets were made by Samuel Hooper & Co., and are finely executed.

A sufficient description of Monument Park was given in the opening chapter of this history, and need not be repeated.

CHAPTER XLI.

FITCHBURG-(Continued.)

ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.

THE history of the beginning, growth and progress of religious life and organizations in a town like Fitchburg would easily make a volume of itself; and this fact may be realized more fully when we say that from 1786 to 1823 the town was almost all the time in a ferment concerning religious and church matters.

During the first forty years of Fitchburg's exist- ence church and town affairs were almost inextricably blended. All church business was settled in town- meeting, and, very naturally, controversy arose between people in different sections of the town ; and during the first quarter of the present century doc- trinal disputes were carried on with considerable bitterness.

We have already spoken, in the section on the early history of the town, about the "six Sabbath days' preaching," by Rev. Peter Whitney, in the Samuel Hunt tavern, during the winter of 1764-65, and of the building of the first meeting-house.

November 21, 1765, the town voted "not to have preaching this winter."

September 22, 1766, voted to have preaching during the coming winter, and appropriated £40 for that purpose, and chose Amos Kimball, Elisha Fullum and Jonathan Wood "for to git a minister to preach ; " also voted "to have Mr. Petter Whitney, Mr. Angier, Mr. Payson, if they will come and preach with us."

Rev. Samuel Angier preached for them that winter and was so well liked that the people gave him an invitation to become their permanent pastor; but Mr. Angier declined the call, chiefly, if not wholly, on account of some difficulty arising between him and Deacon Kimball. It appears from the records that the deacon boarded the minister, for the town voted, March 2, 1767, "to allow Deacon Kimball six shillings per week for boarding the minister till the time agreed upon is expired for Mr. Angier to preach."

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May 11th the town voted to appoint Thursday, May 21, 1767, as "a day of fasting and prayer in order to ask divine assistance in giving some Gentleman a call to settle in the Gospel ministry in this town."

During that summer Rev. John Payson, a graduate of Harvard in 1764, sou of Rev. Phillips Payson, of Chelsea, and a brother of the young and much- lamented minister of Lunenburg, Samuel Payson, who died in 1763, preached for the people of Fitch- burg. He gave great satisfaction, and September 24, 1767, the town voted to give him a call, and offered him the same terms of settlement and salary as had been proposed to Mr. Angier a few months before, viz. £133 138. 4d., as a settlement, one-half to be paid one year after ordination, and the balance two years after, and an annual salary of £60, "unti! there shall be sixty families settled in town, after that to pay him annually £66 138. 4d." Two months later, November 23d, the town voted to find and provide for him thirty cords of wood annually. On this date Rev. Mr. Payson gave his answer in the affirmative, and accepted the town's call to settle on the terms proposed.

The First Church in Fitchburg was formed January 7, 1768, and on the 27th of the same month Rev. John Payson was ordained its pastor, and his pastoral re- lations with the town continued until May 2, 1794. By vote of the town the two churches in Lancaster, the church in Lunenburg, the First Church in Leomin- ster and the two churches in Westminster and Shirley were invited to participate in the ordination.

For the next few years matters ecclesiastical ran along very smoothly and nothing worth recording oc- curred till the "hard times " and depreciation of the currency came in 1777. During the three years 1778-80, it was hard work to pay Mr. Payson's salary and the poor man came near starving to death. The town, however, did not allow him to come to absolute want, and March 30, 1778, voted to appoint a com- mittee of four to circulate a subscription paper among the inhabitants to give them a chance "to subscribe some of the necessaries of life, or anything they please to subscribe for Mr. Payson's support." Two weeks later, April 13th, the records state that this committee reported to the town and presented the paper to Mr. Payson, " which was kindly accepted by Mr. Payson and said he was well satisfied with what the town had done, until September next, which will be one year from the time the subscription paper way dated."

In October, 1778, he received one thousand dollars Continental currency, and the next month two hun- dred and sixty-six dollars more (equivalent, in all, to about one hundred and eighty-four dollars), as his salary.

In September, 1779, the town voted him £1479 168. as his salary for the ensuing year and to make up the depreciation for the last year.

May 23, 1780, the town voted "to pay Mr. Payson £3320 4s. to make his salary good since said salary was granted."

October 9, 1780, it was voted to raise one hundred pounds, "hard money," "to pay the Rev. Mr. Payson his salary the year ensuing, to be paid in hard money or produce, that is, wheat at 98. per bushel; rye at 68. per bushel ; Indian corn at 4s. per bushel ; labor in the summer, 4s. per day; flax, 1s. per pound ; sheep's wool, 28. per pound; pork, 5d. per pound ; beef, 3d. half penny per pound, and other produce in proportion."

The same vote was passed in 1781 and 1782; and during the remaining years of Mr. Payson's pastorate the annual salary voted him was £66 138. 4d.

Nothing worth noting occurred in church affairs until the famous "meeting-house controversy " began. We have previously recorded the two futile attempts made by the people living in the westerly part of the town, in 1785, to be set off from the town of Fitch- burg. These attempts, however, were but a skirmish.

The date of the beginning of the real contest was September 12, 1786, when the town voted "to build a new meeting-house in the center of the town, or the nearest convenient place to the center." To fix upon this much-desired "center " took over nine long years, and occupied the attention of the people during the whole or some portion, of ninety-nine town-meet- ings. We propose to give here only a history of the most important acts of the people in this matter.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 78

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1576

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576