USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Duxbury > History of the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, with genealogical registers > Part 14
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In General Sullivan's campaign in Rhode Island, nearly the whole body of militia in the county were ordered to his aid. The two companies of Duxbury marched under the command of Capt. Calvin Partridge, and were gone about two months. Arriving at Little Compton, they were placed under the immediate command of Gen. Peleg Wadsworth, who had charge of the militia, then assembled to the number of about 2000 men. On one occasion, while Gen. Sullivan was skir- mishing with the British at some distance, Gen. Wadsworth by his command drew up his militia in a body and formed them ready for an attack, whenever orders came for advanc- ing. While thus arrayed, he was informed that they would probably be soon ordered forward. Gen. Wadsworth then for a short time harangued his men, and prepared them for the onset; but as no orders came they saw no fighting on that day. This occurred late in the summer of 1777.
During the absence of the men, the harvesting was done by the matrons of the town, who divided themselves into two companies, the one commanded by Miss Rachel Sampson, and the other by Mrs. William Thomas, and met by turns at the different farms, and gathered the crops; there being none but the old men remaining in the town.
1777. The following were chosen (March 17) a committee of correspondence and safety : Deacons Wadsworth, South- worth and Loring, Capt's Hall and Arnold, Ezra Arnold, Eliphas Prior, Reuben Delano, Judah Delano, Joshua Stan- ford, and Perez Chandler. There were but few towns in the province, who did not number among their inhabitants some of the supporters of the British Government, who were induced to act the part, more from fear, than from a sincere
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[1777.
belief in their duty of loyalty; though doubtless there were some of the latter class. Few towns were destitute of a tory house, where these bondmen of British tyranny were wont to congregate, either in secret or openly. In Duxbury (and to its honor may it be said, ) there was not a single tory ! None dared to profess themselves the friends of British tyranny.
Liberty-pole recantations in Duxbury were not numerous, as there were none to recant. However the tories of other towns did not altogether escape their strict regimen, which they judged perhaps conformable to the duties of perfect patriots. An attempt was made to seize upon Nathaniel Phillips, one of the principal loyalists of Marshfield; but he contrived to escape their vigilance. At one time Dr. Stock- bridge, Paul White, and Elisha Ford, three of the leading tories in Marshfield, were seized and carted under the liberty pole in Duxbury, and forced to sign recantations. The liberty pole was placed on the hill near Col. Bradford's and stood several years after the war. However it appears from the records that (May 14th, 1777) the town appointed John Sampson with instructions "to procure all evidence that he could get against all the enemies of the State, and to make report thereof to proper authorities."
Marshfield was the centre of toryism in this quarter. A large number was also collected at Sandwich. There were some at Plymouth, Halifax and Taunton, and a few in Bridgewater; and these seemed to constitute nearly the whole tory legion in the Old Colony. The associated loyalists at Marshfield numbered about 300 persons. Among the princi- pal characters of this body may be mentioned nearly every member of the ancient Winslow family, and the residence of Dr. Isaac Winslow was one of the chief places of their meeting ; yet he alone of the family was permitted to remain on his estate during the war. He died here in 1819, æt. 81, having lived a life of usefulness in his profession. Another member of this association, Nathaniel Ray Thomas, bore the odious office of mandamus counsellor. He embarked for Halifax on the evacuation of Boston by the British army in 1776, where he died in 1791. He is called in McFingal,
" That Marshfield blunderer, Nat. Ray Thomas."
In the month of July in the year 1774, about seven hundred persons from different parts of the county assembled in Marshfield, and marched to the dwelling of Mr. Thomas, to endeavor to compel him to resign his commission of manda- mus counsellor. Arriving here they were told that he had gone to Boston; however they searched his house, and put the family under oath, administered by a justice of Pem-
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1777.]
broke, who was present, and they solemnly declared that he was absent.
Another, Abijah White, who had been the representative of the town in the General Court, and a government man of great zeal, but of little discretion, carried to Boston the cele- brated Marshfield resolves, censuring the whigs, and caused them to be published, which drew upon him their wrath, and he sunk under the burden of general ridicule. He was obliged to flee to the protection of the British in Boston, to escape the fury of the whigs, and here in remuneration for his services, the English General appointed him superintendent of a turnip field, which had been planted (where now is the Boston Latin School,) by the troops to furnish themselves with vegetables for the sick, the town at that time being deprived of all intercourse with the country without. This proved scarcely consistent with the dignity of the Marshfield loyalist. In McFingal, in recounting one of his exploits, it says, -
" Abijah White, when sent,
Our Marshfield friends to represent, Himself while dread array involves, Commissions, pistols, swords, resolves, In awful pomp descending down, Bore terror on the faction town."
He was of the party of tories and marines, captured by Maj. Tupper at the light house in Boston harbor, and was wounded in the encounter. Isaac Joice, Seth Bryant, Caleb and Melzar Carver, Israel Tilden, Thomas Decrow and Joseph Phillips were likewise odious to the friends of liberty, and were proscribed and banished in 1778. The mob some- times acted with indiscretion, though it is not known that the town on any occasion forced upon these enemies of their liberties any unwarrantable punishments. Some, it is true, were compelled to sign recantations of sentiments under the liberty pole. The following account is given* of the treat-
* Lorenzo Sabine's American Loyalists. Of the colonies, says the same authority, New York was undeniably the loyalists' strong hold, and con- tained more of them than any other colony in all America. Massachusetts furnished 67,907 whig soldiers between the years 1775 and 1783, while New York supplied but 17,781. In adjusting the war balances after the peace, Massachusetts had overpaid her share in the sum of $ 1,248,801 of silver money ; but New York was deficient in the large amount of $ 2,074,- 846. New Hampshire, though almost a wilderness, furnished 12,496 troops for the continental ranks, or quite three quarters of the number enlisted in the Empire State.
One more fact may serve to throw a still stronger light, to illuminate more brightly the nearly unanimous whig principles of the OLD BAY STATE. Virginia, whose established quota was the next highest and within four thousand . of that of Massachusetts, failed to comply therewith in the
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ment of a Halifax tory, at the hands of some of the furious whigs. One Jesse Dunbar by name, having bought some fat cattle of a mandamus counsellor in 1774, drove them to Plymouth for sale. The whigs soon learned with whom he had presumed to deal, and after he had slaughtered, skinned and hung up one of the beasts, commenced punishing him for the offence. His tormentors, it appears, put the dead ox in a cart and fixed Dunbar in his belly, carted him four miles and required him to pay one dollar for the ride. He was then delivered over to a Kingston mob, who carted him four other miles and exacted another dollar. A Duxbury mob then took him and after beating him in the face with the creature's tripe, and, endeavoring to cover his person with it, carried him to counsellor Thomas' house, and compelled him to pay a further sum of money. Flinging his beef into the road, they now left him to recover and return as he could. When he was received from the Kingston mob, he was put into a cart belonging to Mr. William Arnold. By the command of Capt. Wait Wadsworth, he was first allowed to walk by the cart; but while some of the boys, who were collected in great numbers, were dancing around him, he tripped some of them up with his feet, which so irritated the people, that they placed him again in the cart with renewed violence; and soon again transferred him to another ox cart, which carried him and finally tipped him out in front of the counsellor's door.
The town chose (Nov. 24th) Bezaleel Alden, Nathan Chand- ler and Joseph Soule a committee " to fulfil the resolves of the Court, relating to the soldiers in the Continental army."
1778. Early in this year (Jan. 15th), the town assembled, and voted to instruct their representatives to comply with the resolves of the Continental Congress, and to keep a confede- rate union with the United States, to be entered upon for the good of the whole. Dea. Loring, Capt. Arnold, and Mr. Par- tridge were appointed to draw up instructions, which they reported as follows : - " To George Partridge and Dea. Peleg Wadsworth, Representatives ; - You are directed to act and to do in the matter, relating to a compliance of a perpetual union and confederate commerce with the United States, as you shall judge most meet for the advantage of this and the other United States, for the good of the whole relative to the matter."
These were appointed (April 6th) a committee of inspection and safety, - Wrestling Alden, James Freeman, Jr., Judah Delano, John Sampson and Dea. Loring.
number of about 22,000 men : while Massachusetts overrun over 15,000 men. Thus Massachutetts, though required by Congress to furnish only 4,000 more men, raised over 37,000 more !
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1778.]
At the above-named meeting in January, Jacob Weston was authorized by the town " to procure one hundred pounds in lawful money, to buy sd money's worth in arms and am- munition for ye town's store." It was afterwards voted, that the selectmen dispose of the arms, thus procured, by lot; but this vote was rescinded at the next meeting, and it was order- ed that they be apprized, and that the selectmen retain them until further orders.
At a meeting, March 23d, the town "voted to grant the petition of Capt. Arnold and Lt. Hall, for establishing the several votes passed in the first company of militia in Dux- bury, for raising soldiers for the Continental and State service, agreeable to said petition."
At a very large meeting of the town, on the 1st of June, called to consider the expediency of the country's adopting a new plan of government, it was nearly unanimously decided in the negative (103 noes and 3 ayes). Assessors were chosen to raise money for the militia companies; Col. Alden, Benj. Alden and Judah Delano for the north; and Joseph Freeman, Jr., Capt. Andrew Sampson and Saml. Chandler for the south. Capt. Bildad Arnold was chosen to attend the convention to be held at Concord in October next.
The Board of War delivered (Nov. 28th, ) " to Capt. Sylva- nus Drew, 19 firearms for the town of Duxburough at £6."
1779. The town voted (May 17th) that their representa- tive, Mr. Partridge, be instructed, that if the major part of the State be for a change of government, he should vote for a committee for that purpose. The vote was then taken as re- gards a new constitution, which was decided in the negative by a majority of 21 votes (neg. 30, aff. 7). They then re- quested Capt. Hall, Lt. Elijah Baker, Capt. Calvin Partridge, Lt. Saml. Chandler and Ezra Weston, to engage three soldiers for the Continental army, and four for Voted, that a tax be levied to pay the soldiers' polls, which were 3s. 6d. on the hundred.
At a meeting, Aug. 16th, they chose " Col. Briggs Alden and Mr. Eliphas Prior to attend the county convention to be held at Mr. Caleb Loring's, the 24th day of this instant August."
1780. This year exhibited greater activity on the part of the inhabitants, to bring the struggle for freedom at an end. They appear to have entered upon the year with more deter- mination and greater fortitude. The war, which had now been raging for nearly five years, demanded their most stren- uous exertions to bring it at once to a speedy and honorable close. (Discouragement and discontent became to be manifest- ed among the troops. Their families at home beggared, them- selves receiving but poor pay and a scanty subsistence, they turned from the ranks in despair.> To retain them in the ser-
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REVOLUTIONARY ANNALS. [1780.
vice was of the greatest moment to the country. To do this, large sums of money must be raised by taxation, and meas- ures were undertaken throughout the provinces to raise the requisite amount. With high expectations of a future ac- knowledged independence, or at least with the consciousness of doing all in their power to secure this blessing for posterity, many of the towns immediately came forward to the assist- ance of their common country. Early in the opening of this year, (Feb. 8th,) this town assembled, to take into considera- tion means for procuring the necessary sum which would be required of them to discharge the debts already contracted by the war, and to furnish money for the removal of the same. Most of those who had enlisted for the term of nine months, had received no remuneration. After some discussion, it was voted to raise £5000 for the payment of these.
Dea. James Southworth, Capt. Bildad Arnold and Eliphas Prior were appointed (Mar. 7th,) the committee of correspond- ence for the ensuing year. The form of government was, at a meeting held on the 22d of May, presented to the town for their approval or rejection. It was duly considered ; and, on taking the question, the vote stood 44 for it, with five dissent- ing voices.
The terms of service of the troops were now fast expiring, and recruits were wanted to supply their places. The town took all necessary measures to supply her quota of men in the coming campaign. It was not however until somewhat late in the season, that a company could be gathered. They assembled on the 19th of June, but without transacting any business, save voting to unite in the forming of the company, they adjourned to the next day, and met at the house of Wrestling Alden. Eighteen men were now selected, who were required to provide one man each. The meeting then adjourned to the meeting-house, where the following votes for raising more money were next passed. First, to raise £800 by a tax on the polls and estates of the town, to pay the sol- diers raised pursuant to the three resolves of the General Court, for reënforcing the Continental army. Second, to raise £10,000 to pay the nine months' men, last in the army. At an adjourned meeting, it was voted that the above committee of eighteen be empowered to engage the men "at 20 hard dol- lars a month, including the State's bounty, which the town is to have the benefit of, or 20 bushels of corn, or 15 bushels of rye, or other produce at this same rate." A vote was also passed "to indemnify the officers in case there is a fine amerc- ed on them." On the 3d of July the town again assembled, when it was ascertained that this committee, with the excep- tion of six, had procured each a man to serve for six months. Six others were now added to the committee, to exert their
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influence in procuring the residue. The company was called together by their officers, ready for the departure on the 10th instant.
Now came another demand for 22 militia men, to serve three months ; and they agreed to raise these at their own expense ; and a committee, corresponding to the number required, were authorized to procure each a man, and to agree with him. At this time the town determined, that those who shall pay the tax levied for paying the three and six months men in sil- ver, shall be exempted from paying more for said purpose. It will be observed, that the currency was required to be hard ; for at this time the paper currency had so much depreciated, that one dollar in silver would purchase nearly an hundred in paper.
A call was also made on the town by the State, for her quota of beef, which was 6190 pounds, and a tax was voted to be levied to procure funds for purchasing the same, estimating the beef at $4 per pound, which would make the amount $24,760. Eliphas Prior was afterwards (Oct. 3d) appointed to purchase it, and to hire a sum equal to the amount, if he could ; and to deliver the beef to a person authorized to re- ceive it, by the General Court. The treasurer was also told to issue notes, payable in six months, to any person who would sell the beef or lend the money.
The following men, of Duxbury, at this period served three months in Baron Stuben's infantry : - Isaac Delano, Joshua Brewster, Consider Glass, Oliver Delano, and James Weston.
1781. The Committee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety of last year, were reappointed for the present year.
The town met on the 1st of January, and determined to raise 14 more men to serve for three years; and a committee of the same number were appointed to procure each a man. The militia officers were requested to assist in the levy ; and, at an adjourned meeting (Jan. 5th), a new plan was agreed upon, by dividing the town into classes, and requiring each class to provide one man, agreeing with him as they may think best. Assembling again on the 29th, no further steps were taken, except they passed a vote, stimulating the inhab- itants to renewed action. Afterwards (April) they voted to pay the twenty men, who were to march to Tiverton, three shillings per day, including the State's pay. A committee was also appointed to settle accounts with those before chosen to settle with the three, six, and nine months men. This committee consisted of Col. B. Alden, Bezaleel Alden and John Peterson.
In July three men were enlisted in the west part of the town to serve in the Rhode Island campaign for five months. Somer farther resolves were made at a meeting on the 9th of
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REVOLUTIONARY MARITIME ANNALS. [1775-81.
this month, in relation to the three months men. They voted to allow them £6 per month, exclusive of the State's pay ; and voted to raise for this purpose £36; and also agreed to indemnify the officers if they did not draft the men.
In this place it may be well to give some account of the part the inhabitants of Duxbury took in the maritime affairs of this period.
In the early part of the war, a fishing schooner, belonging to Elijah Sampson of Duxbury, was taken and burnt by the enemy, off the beach within sight of the town. She was commanded by Capt. Lewis Drew, and manned by Ezra Howard, Joseph Delano, Zebdiel Delano, Abiathar Alden, and Zadock Bradford. They were taken to New York and put on board the Jersey prison ship, where they all died excepting Alden and Bradford, who returned home.
The English forty-gunship Chatham took the schooner Olive, belonging to Capt. Nathaniel Winsor, by whom she was at that time commanded, and manned by Wm. Winsor, Thomas Sampson and Lot Hunt. They were finally released on parole with the loss of their mainsail, which the enemy retained.
Shortly after the above, Samuel Chandler's schooner Polly Johnson, commanded by Capt. John Winsor, and manned by Consider Glass, Thomas Chandler, Asa Tour, and James Weston, was taken by the English thirty-two gunship Perse- verance. The enemy put on board the schooner several of their crew, who started on a cruise for the purpose of ascer- taining her sailing qualities. They however returned on the next day, and, putting on board her original crew with the crew of another prize, which they had taken, belonging to Cape Ann, released them on parole, giving to the two crews the schooner, which they afterwards returned to the rightful owner.
Capt. Eden Wadsworth, George Cushman, and Joshua Brewster served in the public armed vessels. In the summer of 1779, Freeman Loring, Studley Sampson, Amasa Delano, and Joseph Bestow joined the crew of the privateer Mars, an armed vessel of 22 guns, fitted out at Boston by Mr. David Sears and commanded by Capt. Ash. James Tour and William Ripley served aboard the Alliance frigate.
Messrs. Warren Weston, Abel Sampson, Bisbee Chandler, Howard Chandler, and Samuel Delano were with Capt. Simeon Sampson in a brig, when he was taken by the English ship Rainbow. Abel Sampson died in the Halifax prison. The Rainbow was soon after nearly lost in a fog in the vicin- ity of Cape Sable; but was finally rescued from her perilous situation by the skill of a Marblehead captain who was a
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prisoner on board, and who thus obtained his liberty, which was granted to him as a recompense for his services.
In the year 1781, a small vessel, called a "Shaving Mill," was built and equipped at Kingston, to proceed along the coast to the Penobscot, and there to plunder and seize the British stores. She was a long craft, had three lateen sails and fourteen oars. She sailed from Captain's hill under the command of Capt. Joseph Wadsworth, whose lieutenant was Daniel Loring, and was absent on her cruise about three weeks.
1782. On the 1st of August an order came from the Hon. Henry Gardner for the town to furnish the sum of £2224 for three men in the State service, in accordance with the resolve of the State, March, 1782.
1783. The blessing of peace at last came upon the States, and with it, too, the consummation of their most ardent aspi- rations. Liberty and independence had been acquired, though through rivers of blood and plains of desolation. As to the founders of New England we owe the blessing of religious liberty ; so to the heroes of the revolution must we look, as the source of our civil independence. Both the choicest favors in the gift of Providence. Temporary has been the admiration bestowed on the mightiest exploits ; but lasting as the soil upon which they trod, must be the love and venera- tion ever to be manifested for the memory of those who first acquired and handed to posterity, the richest of Heaven's
blessings, CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. They acted from principles, - principles, which made them look rather to the future, than the past, rather to the acquirement of liberty and prosperity for their children, than to the augmentation of their own personal happiness. They strove for the establishment of those institutions now so endeared to our hearts, and so beneficial to our security. They strove in unity, - unity of purpose and of deed, and may their example ever be before us, and may it prompt us to a regard for the union of our States, and may our dying ejaculations be in anticipation of an eternal concord, peaceful and happy. They bequeathed to us the choicest boons. It is to the character of the primitive settlers of New England, that we are indebted for our system of general education, now so justly the subject of our own pride, and the object of universal admiration; and their children, drinking in the spirit which actuated their fathers in the performance of those deeds, still and ever will uphold that native energy and inborn perseverance, which has made New England what she is, her sons the models of uprightness, alike distinguished for integrity and probity, and the possess- ors of that enterprising spirit, which has caused the world to
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be encircled by her numbers, and every sea whitened with her sails.
But few of the participators in that struggle are now left amongst us. In 1840, there were in the town nineteen survi- vors, who received pensions from the government, but since then many of them have died .* Their names were Joseph Kinney, aged 85 years, Howland Sampson 85, Andrew Samp- son 91, Thomas Chandler 87, Samuel Gardner 76, Howard Chandler 81, James Weston 79, Oliver Delano 81, Reuben Dawes 95, Nathaniel Hodges 78, Isaiah Alden 81, Abner Sampson 88, Levi Weston 83, Judah Alden 89, Uriah Sprague 92, Seth Sprague SO, Joshua Brewster 77, Jeptha Delano 81, and Edward Arnold 92. The aggregate age of these was 1603 years; the average age 84 7-19. There were four over 90; eleven between 80 and 90; and four between 70 and 80. At the same date there were thirteen widows receiving pensions, whose husbands had served in the war. Their aggregate age was 1025 years, and the average 78 11-13 years. Of all the towns in Plymouth county, no other, except Middleboro', had a larger or so large a number.
* Under the first pension law, there were 22 pensioners in Duxbury. It has been estimated that there were about sixty individuals from Duxbury actively engaged through the revolution in the army and navy. The following is an imperfect list of those men belonging to Duxbury, who were either killed in action or died in the army during the war : of Capt. S. Bradford's company, Elisha Sampson, Asa Hunt, and Thomas Sprague, at the battle of White Plains. Col. Ichabod Alden at Cherry Valley, and of his regiment in the retreat from Ticonderoga to Albany, Carpus White, and also James Wright and Nathaniel Weston, who died by disease. Joshua Sprague, a sergeant under Capt. Bradford, died at New York, Aug. 20, 1776 æt 25. Ira Bradford served on board a privateer and was killed in a fight on Long Island Sound. Samuel Alden received a mortal wound in the Penobscot expedition.
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