USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Gardner > History of the town of Gardner, Worcester County, Mass., from the incorporation, June 27, 1785, to the present time > Part 9
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Minot's History of the insurrections, etc., published within two years after these occurrences, says, " The condition of the town of Springfield was truly melancholy during this civil con- tention. Neighbors were opposed to each other under arms, the houses were rendered the scenes of female distress, and it was in the power of accident only to have brought an action which might have destroyed the lives of thousands, and sub- jected all property to the immediate vengeance of the party that might have become victorious. After remaining in this
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situation for four days the inhabitants were relieved by the dis- persing of both parties."
The conservative sentiment of Springfield as a town is shown by the record of a town meeting held on the 25th of September. At a previous meeting a committee, consisting of William Pynchon, Capt. Thomas Stebbins, Reuben Bliss and Thomas Williston, had been appointed " to take into consider- ation the present aspect of our public affairs and what meas- ures are prudent to be adopted by the town to extricate us out of our present difficulties." The report of this committee. which was made by Mr. Pynchon, was in the form of a letter of instructions to Samuel Lyman, the representative of the town in the General Court, which was about to meet in special session. I quote from the report :-
If a motion should be made for a paper medium to be substituted in the place of solid coin, as a tender in discharge of private debts, you will oppose it with all your influence. Such a medium is iniquitous in itself, pregnant of innumerable evils, both political and moral, con- trary to the spirit of our constitution, and inconsistent with the rights of mankind ; whatever order government may see fit to make with respect to future contracts, no government can possibly have a right to alter private contracts, already made under her patronage, and the protection and security of laws then existing. A usurpation in such an instance might soon become a precedent for usurpation still more dangerous, till the liberties of the people were annihilated, not to add that the increase of our paper debt at a time when it is already a burthen, appears a pre- posterous and ridiculous remedy.
You are not to favor any motion for a present revisal of our constitu- tion. We are far from thinking it too perfect to be amended, but as within a few years it is to be revised of course if then found necessary, we cannot suppose it would be prudent to ineur the extraordinary expense and peculiar danger of attempting an alteration in so burthen- some and so critical a time as this. There are matters of greater and more immediate consequence which require your attention and on which present relief more especially depends. The general perturbation of people's spirits at this instant will scarcely admit that calm, dispassion- ate deliberation which is necessary in laying the groundwork in govern- ment in so large and so economical a state, and a state which has so
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many foreign as well as domestic connections, and probably would pre- vent a tolerable agreement in any amendments that would be proposed.
We imagine that part of our discontents may arise from misapprehen- sion, and therefore it is our wish that when the Legislature have done all in their power to relieve our real burthens, they would in a public address state onr case to us in its various circumstances with as much perspi- cacity as possible that our mistakes, if we have unhappily fallen into any, may be rectified, and our imaginary as well as real grievances may be removed.
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When the Legislature assembled it was found that the Senate was in favor of vigorous measures in support of the govern- ment. In the House there was a party in sympathy with the insurgents, and another party opposed to disorder, but not in favor of coercive measures. There were others who thought they saw in the successful defiance of the courts a failure of republican institutions, and who looked to a revolution as a necessary or convenient step toward the establishment of an aristocratic government. Extremes were thus meeting and co- operating. Toward the close of the session, however, acts were reluctantly passed authorizing the governor and council to imprison without bail such persons as they deemed danger- ous to the public safety, and providing that persons indicted for treason might be tried in any county. But these wholesome measures were qualified by an offer of a free pardon to such of the insurgents as should take the oath of allegiance before the 1st of January. An address to the people was voted, as had been suggested by the Springfield town meeting, but the most important thing of all was neglected. They did not provide money to meet the expenses of dealing successfully with the insurrection.
The failure of the legislature to adopt energetic measures gave new courage to the insurgents. They derided what they called the weakness and timidity of the government, and laughed at the offer of pardon. The war upon the courts was persistently maintained. In December Shays made another raid upon Springfield, and foreibly prevented the session of the
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court of common pleas. A letter from Springfield to the Bos- ton Chronicle, under date of December 27, gives this account of his proceeding :-
There is a stagnation of almost every kind of business among us by reason of the tumults which are so prevalent here. Yesterday we had another visit from the mobility ; about 350 men marched in hostile array, with drums beating, and took possession of the court-house. com- manded by Shays, Day and Grover, in order to prevent the sitting of the court of common pleas, which by law was to have been held here at that time. This they effected, as there was no opposition on the part of the government. It was not possible for the court (as they were sur- rounded by an armed force and a guard placed at the door of the room in which the judges were met) to proceed to do business. They there- fore informed a committee who were chosen by the insurgents to wait on them that they would not attempt to open the court. After which, about dark, the insurgents left the town.
It is evident that this was a surprise to the people of Spring- field. For some reason or other they had believed that the court would not be interfered with. The indignation among the friends of the government was intense, and within a few hours a permanent military force was organized for local pur- poses. But the outrage upon the court was productive of good results. It proved to be a material element in arousing the party of order to vigorous and decisive action, and was the last armed attack made upon the courts of Massachusetts. This form of mob rule had its beginning and end in Springfield.
News traveled slowly in 1786. Information of this last exploit of Shays was not received by the governor until the first of January. The news was received at Boston with sur- prise and alarm. Springfield had been regarded as the govern- ment stronghold in the western part of the state, and an uncon- tested insurgent success had not been expected at that point. At the same time an attack upon Boston was threatened by the insurgents, and there were indications that a part of the popula- tion of that town were ready for revolt. Disturbances, too, were occurring in other states. In New Hampshire an armed
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mob surrounded the Legislature, demanding the enactment of a paper money law. There were well-founded apprehensions that general anarchy would be the barren sequence of all the magnificent achievements of the continental armies.
The governor and the members of the executive council were capable and resolute men, and were faithful to their great trusts, but they were powerless. They did not have at their command the means of sustaining even a single regiment in the field. The emergency was finally met by some of the capitalists and business men of Boston, who realized the danger to which their interests would be exposed by a revolution, and came forward with an offer of a loan to the state, trusting to future legisla- tion for their reimbursement. Their offer was accepted, and there was at once a change in the condition of affairs. There was a new and wholesome activity in the executive departments. Orders were issued for the raising and equipment of forty-five hundred men, a considerable army in that day. Public senti- ment at once exhibited a more healthy tone. The wavering and doubting began to get off the fence and range themselves on the side that had troops and money, and the lukewarm and more thoughtful among the insurgents began to think of their allegiance. Shays and his council had been in deliberation over two distinct plans of operation. The more reckless of the leaders advised an attack upon Boston for the purpose of releasing two of their number who had been arrested and were held in jail. Others advised that the attack on Boston be de- layed until after the seizure of the continental arsenal at Spring- field, with its store of war material, and this last plan was the one adopted.
The Hampshire county quota of twelve hundred men were ordered to assemble at Springfield, and Gen. Shepard was placed in command. The eastern militia were to meet at Rox- bury, whence they were to march to Worcester and there be joined with the force raised in Worcester county. The chief command was given to Gen. Benjamin Lincoln, an accomplished officer of the Revolutionary war. Gov. Bowdoin's orders to
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Gen. Lincoln required him to protect the court of common pleas at the January term at Worcester, and left his further movements against the insurgents to his own discretion.
Gen. Shepard again anticipated the movements of Shays. Acting under the authority of the secretary of war, he took possession of the arsenal. Gen. Lincoln reached Worcester on the 22d of January after a three days' march from Roxbury through the deep snow of midwinter. The court was opened and proceeded with the business of the term. Order was re- stored at Worcester and substantially at all points in the state cast of that place. The insurgents were concentrating their strength in the western counties, and it was understood on all hands that the issue was to be tried and determined at Spring- field.
The positions of the several armed forces on the evening of January 24 were as follows : Gen. Shepard was posted at the arsenal with about one thousand men. Shays had just reached Wilbraham on his march from Rutland. A part of Lincoln's command was less than two days' march in the rear of Shays. Luke Day, an insurgent leader, was at West Springfield with about four hundred men and boys, well armed and well drilled. There was a good ice bridge at the time, so that he was within easy reach of the arsenal. Eli Parsons, a Berkshire leader, was in the north parish of Springfield (now Chicopee) with about four hundred men. The total insurgent force was about double that of Gen. Shepard.
The inhabitants of Springfield, except such as were within the immediate protection of Gen. Shepard, were kept in con- stant alarm. Respectable citizens were seized in their own houses and taken to Day's camp in West Springfield, where they were kept under guard as hostages and for purposes of retaliation. Men were not sure whether their near neighbors were friends or foes, and unprotected homes were exposed to outrage and plunder. Upon the receipt of the news that Shays had reached Wilbraham, most of the women and children who had means of conveyance fled from the town, the greater part of them going to Longmeadow.
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Ou his arrival at Wilbraham Shays sent a message to Day informing him that he intended to attack the arsenal on the 25th. Day replied by letter that he could not move on that day, but would join in the attack on the 26th. Day's messenger was arrested, and his letter, instead of going to Shays, went to General Shepard. On the 25th Shays moved upon Springfield, expecting, of course, the co-operation of Day and Parsons. Even if he had received Day's letter he could not have delayed his attack. His only chance of success was in seizing the arsenal before Gen. Lincoln could come up.
At that time none of the buildings now standing on the arsenal grounds had been erected. There were two wooden buildings, built for barracks and for storage on the brow of the hill looking to the north, on or near the site of the present store-house. There was a private dwelling-house on the site of the present middle arsenal (opposite the Olivet church. ) It was to this house that the dead and wounded insurgents were carried. East of that point there were no buildings except the powder magazine that stood in a then remote spot in the woods. Magazine street has since been located over its site. The pres- ent main Armory square was the public training field. There were not then any gun shops on the arsenal grounds. If there was one in the town at that time it was in Ferry lane, where government gun work was originally done in Springfield.
When Shays left Wilbraham on the morning of the 25th, Asaph King, a deputy sheriff, started on horseback to give in- formation to Gen. Shepard. He was obliged to avoid the high- ways and made his way across the fields, through snowdrifts and over fences, and is said to have accomplished the distance in forty-five minutes. This was the first exact information received by Gen. Shepard of the approach of Shays, and he proceeded to make ready for his fitting reception. His men were stationed near the barracks, and his cannon were planted on the brow of the hill commanding the approach by the Boston road. A part of his force was posted in Main street, at the point now crossed by the Boston and Albany railroad, for the
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purpose of holding Day in check, in case he should attempt to come to the aid of Shays. A considerable mob collected at that point, but did not attempt an attack upon the militia.
It was towards the close of the short winter day that the insurgents were seen from the arsenal making their toilsome march through the snow on the Boston road. They were in the best of spirits. Every attempt they had hitherto made had succeeded, but it was not an unprotected court-house they were now intending to occupy. Some of them were to be dead within the next few minutes. . Shays was entirely confident. Some of his old army comrades went out to meet him, and advised him to keep out of the range of Gen. Shepard's guns, and abandon his treason. He received them pleasantly, told them he was sure of success, and was inclined to be jocose. He did not know his own men.
There is a good deal of loose tradition about the affair of the 25th of January, which is entirely omitted here, for the reason that it does not seem to be supported by any trustworthy con- temporary evidence. There was not any battle. The only firing was on the government side and there was but little of that. Only one shot seems to have been fired in genuine earnest, and that was followed by a panic among the insurgents and a flight. The official report of the firm but kind-hearted Gen Shepard to the government gives us reliable history. It is as follows :-
Springfield, January 26, 1787.
SIR :- The unhappy time has come in which we have been obliged to shed blood. Shays, who was at the head of abont twelve hundred men. marched yesterday afternoon about four o'clock toward the public buildings, in battle array. He marched his men in an open column by platoons. I sent several times. by one of my aids, and two other gen- tlemen, Capts. Butlington and Woodbridge, to him to know what he was after, or what he wanted. His reply was, he wanted barracks, barracks he would have. and stores. The answer was, he must purchase them dear, if he had them. Ile still proceeded on his march, until he approached within two hundred and fifty yards of the arsenal. He then made a halt. I immediately sent Maj. Lyman, one of my aids, and
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Capt. Buffington, to inform him not to march his troops any nearer the arsenal on his peril, as I was stationed here by order of your excellency and the secretary at war, for the defense of the publick property ; in case he did, I should surely fire on him and his men. A Mr. Wheeler, who appeared to be one of Shays' aids met Mr. Lyman after he had deliv- ered my orders in the most peremptory manner, and made answer, that that was all he wanted. Shays immediately put his troops in motion and marched on rapidly near one hundred yards. I then ordered Maj. Stephens, who commanded the artillery to fire upon them ; he accord- ingly did. The two first shot he endeavored to overshoot them, in hope they would have taken warning. without firing among them, but it had no effect on them. Maj. Stephens then directed his shot through the centre of his column. The fourth or fifth shot put the whole column into the utmost confusion. Shays made an attempt to display his col- umn, but in vain. We had one howit. Which was loaded with grape shot, which, when fired, gave them great uneasiness. Had I been dis- posed to destroy them, I might have charged upon their rear and flanks with my infantry and the two field-pieces, and could have killed the greater part of his whole army within twenty-five minutes. There was not a single musket fired on either side.
I found three men dead on the spot, and one wounded, who is since dead. One of our artillerymen, by inattention, was badly wounded. Three muskets were taken up with the dead, which were all deeply loaded. I enclose to your excellency a copy of a paper sent to me last evening. I have received no reinforcements yet, and expect to be at- tacked this day by their whole force combined. I am sir, with great respect,
Your Excellency's most obedient, humble servant,
WILLIAM SHEPARD. Ilis Excellency James Bowdoin, Esq.
The following is a copy of the paper enclosed in the above letter :-
HEADQUARTERS, WEST SPRINGFIELD, January 25, 1787.
The body of the people assembled in arms, adhering to the first prin- ciples in nature, self-preservation, do, in the most peremptory manner, demand
1. That the troops in Springfield lay down their arms.
2. That their arms be deposited in the publick stores, under the care
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of the proper officers, to be returned to the owners at the termination of the present contest.
3. That the troops return to their homes upon parole.
LUKE DAY, Captain Commandant of this division.
To the commanding officer at Springfield, Jan. 25, 1787.
On the back,-" By Col. Eli Parsons."
The " captain commandant" who made this high-sounding de- mand ran away, two days later, without firing a shot.
The lives so foolishly thrown away before the arsenal were those of Ezekiel Root and Ariel Webster of Gill, Jabes Spicer of Leyden and John Hunter of Shelburne. In the evening Shays sent a messenger to Gen. Shepard with a flag of truce requesting that the bodies of five of his men killed before the arsenal should be returned to him. Gen. Shepard's rather grim reply was that he could not furnish him at that time with five insurgents, as he had but four, and one of them was not quite dead, but that if Shays would attack the arsenal again, Gen. Shepard would furnish him as many rebels as he should desire.
The attack anticipated by Gen. Shepard was not made. Shays retreated on the night of the 25th to " Chapin's tavern," five miles cast of the town. The next day he joined Parson's force at Chicopee, two hundred of his men deserting by the way. A bold dash on the morning of the 27th might possibly have helped him, but he lost the only opportunity there was remaining to him. At noon on that day a part of Gen. Lin- coln's army consisting of three regiments of infantry, three companies of artillery and a body of cavalry reached Spring- field. After a rest of one hour the Lincoln infantry and artil- lery crossed the river for the purpose of seizing Day and his party. At the same time Gen. Shepard moved up the river on the east bank, and the cavalry went up the river on the ice to prevent a junction of Day and Shays. There was no inclina- tion to fight among the insurgents, who retired as the militia advanced, their numbers lessening by desertions as they went. The pursuit was vigorously maintained until the insurgent
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leaders were captured or driven from the state, but several months elapsed before quiet was entirely restored. The peace of Springfield was not again disturbed by the rebellion.
The insurrection was practically subdued before Shays ap- peared before the arsenal. Most of the men of influence who had taken part in the earlier proceedings of the insurgents had withdrawn from active participation with them. Some of them were affrighted at the confusion they had aided in creating. Others had become convinced of the power of the state to inforce its laws and punish offenders. There were others who could not be induced to lift their hands against the federal authority or property, and there was an evident distrust of the capacity of the insurgent leaders to successfully conduct a rebellious enterprise. Shays, though his personal courage is admitted, did not possess the qualities of leadership. He was a soldier of fortune, with a dull idea of personal honor, though at this late day we can, perhaps, afford to adopt the suggestion of a newspaper correspondent of the time, who spoke of him as " one Shays a deranged officer of the late war." He was not the man to retain the respect of his subordinates and followers. The men who cried " murder" and ran away at the first sight of blood, were not the old soldiers who had challenged the militia to a fight in the main street of Springfield in September.
Daniel Shays who gave his name to the rebellion was born at Hopkinton in 1747. He removed to Great Barrington and afterward resided in Pelham. After the suppression of the insurrection he removed to Sparta, N. Y., where he lived in utter poverty, until 1825. Luke Day was born in West Spring- field and died there in poverty, in 1801.
John Hancock, who was the first governor under the state constitution was again elected in 1787. It is no unfavorable criticism of the administration that immediately preceded him to say, that his election was generally received as a promise of the removal of the prevailing discontent. The armed insurrec- tion had been suppressed, but the work of bringing the people of the state to a cordial and unanimous support of the consti-
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tution and laws remained to be performed. The new governor assumed this difficult undertaking and accomplished it. John Hancock did not believe in the religion of hate. Nine of the leading insurgents who were convicted of treason and sentenced to death were pardoned, some of them at the foot of the gal- lows, the only condition being that they should never hold any office, civil or military, within the commonwealth. A large number of persons convicted of seditious offences were par- doned unconditionally. A member of the Legislature who was convicted of treasonable practices was sentenced to stand for an hour on the gallows, with a rope around his neck and to pay a fine of fifty pounds. This seems to have been the only sen- tence carried into execution. It would be a good plan perhaps to revive this mode of dealing with recreant legislators. Con- ciliatory measures were adopted by the Legislature. The sul- len mutterings of the defeated insurgents gradually subsided. Commerce soon settled commercial difficulties in its own way, as it always does if unfettered by meddlesome legislation, and a season of prosperity ensued. The rebellion was ended at last in accordance with the grand precepts of the gospel of for- giveness and of peace. And all history tells us that rebellion is never completely conquered in any other way.
As giving a more minute account of the closing scenes of the rebellion, we also insert the following extract from Lincoln's History of Worcester, together with a notice of Shays, by the same author :-
" The career of Shays, was fast drawing to its close. Driven from post to post, he suddenly retired from Pelham to Peters- ham, where he expected to concentrate the forces of expiring rebellion and make his final stand. Intelligence of this change of position reached Gen. Lincoln at Hadley, February 3d, and he determined, by prompt and decisive action, to terminate the warfare. When the troops took up the line of march, at eight o'clock, the evening was bright and mild. Before morning the cold became intense ; the dry and light snow, whirled before a
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violent north wind, filled the paths and rendered them almost impassable. The severity of the cold prevented any halt for rest or refreshment. At a distance from shelter, without de- fence against the inclemeney of the weather, it became neces- sary to press on without pausing, to the camp occupied by men possessing all martial advantages, except courage and a good cause. The heavy sufferings of the night were terminated, by the arrival of the troops in the very centre of Petersham. The followers of Shays, trusting to the violence of the storm and the obstruction of the highways, rested in careless security. The first warning of danger, was from the appearance of the advanced guard of the forces of goverment, after a journey of thirty miles, in the midst of their cantonment. Had an army dropped from the clouds, upon the hill, the consternation could not have been greater. Panic struck, the insurgents fled, with- out firing a gun, or offering resistance to soldiers exhausted by fatigue, with frozen limbs and almost sinking under the priva- tions and hardships of the severe service."
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