USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Medford > History of the town of Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement in 1630 to 1855 > Part 18
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HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
chances of battle. The British had now come round them in such overwhelming numbers, that they felt des- perate. Just as the British officer had ordered them to surrender, a detachment of American troops came sud- denly upon them. The cavalry saw they themselves must be taken, and they turned and fled.
Major Brooks narrated to Gen. Washington every par- ticular of this successful stratagem ; and Washington said, "There is nothing in our military history that sur- passes the ingenuity and fortitude of that manœuvre." Capt. Pritchard was very young, and a great favorite in the army; and, when it became his turn to watch through the night, it was a common saying among the officers, " We can sleep soundly to-night ; Pritchard's out."
He returned to Medford after the war, resumed his trade of cooper, and died, June 8, 1795, aged forty-three.
THE WAR OF 1812.
Medford furnished its full quota of soldiers for the war of 1812, and shed its blood in sustaining the national cause. The following are the names of those who volun- teered enlistment : John Gates, Zachariah Shed, Edmund Gates, Amos Hadley, Thomas Cutter, Jacob Waite, Sam- uel F. Jordan, Jonathan Tufts, jun., Randolph Richardson, Rehoboam Richardson, Miles Wilson, Joseph Peirce, John Lee, John Weatherspoon, John McClough, Stephen D. Bugsby, Robert Hall, Benjamin Symmes.
Edmund Gates was killed in the battle of Chippewa ; and Abiel R. Shed was killed in the sortie of Fort Erie, 1813.
One of the most signal sacrifices made by Medford to the cause of the country, in that war, was the death of Lieut. John Brooks, son of Gen. Brooks, who graduated at Harvard College in 1805, studied medicine with his father, and afterwards joined the army as an officer of marines. The personal beauty of young Brooks was a matter of remark in every company where he appeared. His courage was great ; and by exposing himself in the hottest struggle of the fight, he was instantly killed by a cannon-ball, which struck him near the hip, and man- gled him shockingly. This occurred in the famed battle on Lake Erie, Sept. 13, 1813, when Commodore Perry gained his brilliant victory over the English fleet.
183
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
The remains of Lieut. Brooks were buried on an island in Lake Erie, and there remained until November, 1817, when they were removed to Fort Shelby, in the city of Detroit, Mich. The "Detroit Gazette" of Nov. 7, 1817, has the following notice of the removal : -
" Funeral of Lieut. John Brooks .- On Friday last the remains of Lieut. John Brooks, who fell in the battle on Lake Erie, were in- terred in the new burial-ground upon the glacis of Fort Shelby, within the Military Reserve of this city. The ceremony was attended with military honors suited to the rank of the deceased.
" The body was escorted by a military corps, and preceded by the Rev. Messrs. Montieth and Larned. The pall was supported by six lieutenants, with scarfs. Lieut .- Col. Smith, and the officers of the Fifth United States Regiment, followed as mourners, flanked by marshals. Then succeeded Major-Gen. Macomb, Gov. Cass, and the civil, judicial, and municipal officers of the territory and city, citi- zens and strangers, and the non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the army. The funeral service was performed by the Rev. Mr. Larned. The procession was solemn and sublime."
These services show the high esteem in which the brave and beautiful young officer was held by his com- rades and commanders.
Among the brave who served in this war, there were none braver than Col. Alexander Scammel Brooks, eldest son of Gen. John Brooks. He was born in Medford, 1777, on the day of Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga. He entered Harvard College in 1798, and left it in 1801. He preferred a sailor's life ; but, when the embargo of 1808 was laid, he obtained a commission in the army, and held it till that restriction on commerce was removed. He then resumed marine life, and continued in it till the war of 1812, when he again received a commission as cap- tain in the United-States Army, and served through the war. So gallant was his conduct at the battle of Platts- burg, that he received a brevet as major. He was re- tained in the army on the peace establishment, and com- manded posts on the seaboard. In May, 1817, he married Miss Sarah Turner. In 1820 he was ordered to the com- mand of Portland Harbor, where he remained seven years ; thence to Bellona Arsenal, on James River, Va., where he remained four years ; thence to Fort Independence, in Boston Harbor. He next came to Medford, and re- sided in the house of his late father till ordered to the command of the New-York Harbor. In May, 1836, he was ordered, with his command, into the Cherokee coun-
184
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
try, to move the Indians. That duty performed, he went to Fort Moultrie, Charleston Harbor, SC. Here he soon received orders to proceed immediately to Florida, and take command of the regiment of which he was lieutenant- colonel, and prosecute the war against the Indians. He had a singular and unconquerable dislike of travelling by steam-power : but here was a necessity ; and, almost for the first time in his life, he ventured on board a steam- boat, the "Dolphin," bound for the Black Creek, and was killed by the explosion of the boilers of the steamer, Dec. 17, 1836.
MEDFORD MILITIA.
The militia, whose trainings we of latter days have witnessed, is mentioned for the first time in the "First Roster," in 1787; but in the earlier and more confused records, there is recognition of a Medford company in 1781. The commanders of the company were as fol- lows : -
Moses Hall
chosen captain Jan.
12, 1787.
Samuel Teel .
March 29, 1788.
Abijah Usher
May 26, 1795.
Gardner Greenleaf
Oct. 23, 1798.
Samuel Newell
April 17, 1801.
Nathan Adams
April 26, 1802.
Samuel Thompson
April 3, 1804.
Until this time, this company had belonged to the first regiment of the first brigade of the third division; but now a new regiment, the fifth, was formed, and Medford, Charlestown, and Malden composed it. The next cap- tain of the Medford company was Rufus Frost, chosen May 12, 1806. He resigned, and was discharged March 10, 1810. He was re-elected April 3, 1810, but he "re- fused to qualify." The next captains were : -
Henry Reed chosen
July Feb.
2, 1810.
Daniel Copeland
27, 1812.
Henry Todd
April
2, 1816.
Galen James
March 16, ISI8.
Moses Merrill
April 14, 1820.
John T. White
May 4, 1824.
John Sparrell
Aug. 6, 1827.
William L. Barker
July 29, 1830.
Joshua T. Foster
May 6, 1834.
L. O. Chase
May 3, 1836.
He , by
ram- was Dec.
RESIDENCE OF CAPT. JOSHUA T. FOSTER.
6. 1
C4 st at d, en
e·
0.
First ved
185
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
THE OLD MEDFORD LIGHT INFANTRY.
The members of this company petitioned the Governor and Council to be organized as an independent corps, under the law of Nov. 29, 1785. As that law was very peculiar, and gave rights seemingly at variance to general military usage, it may be worth while to extract the two sections which contain the extraordinary provisions. They are as follows : -
" Be it therefore enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That when any Major-General, commander of a division of militia in this Com- monwealth, shall certify to the Governor, that, in his opinion, it will be expedient, and for the good of the Commonwealth, that one or more companies of cadets, or other corps, should be raised in his division, the Governor, with advice and consent of the Council, be, and he is hereby, authorized and empowered (if he judge expedient) to raise such cadet company, companies, or corps; and, when any such company or corps shall be raised, they shall elect their officers in the same manner, and in the same proportion, as is provided for the election of officers of other companies and corps of militia in this Commonwealth; and the officers so elected shall be commissioned by the Governor. Provided, always, that no such cadet company or corps shall be raised in any of said divisions, when, by means thereof, any of the standing companies within the same would be reduced to a less number than sixty privates.
" And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That the said companies or corps, when raised and organized, shall be under the command of the major-general of the division in which they shall be respectively formed, and shall be subject to the rules and regulations that are already, or may hereafter be, provided by the Legislature, or the commander-in-chief of the militia of this Com- monwealth, for the general government of the militia."
It will be observed, that these companies might be raised by the recommendation of the major-general, and the officers and members composing them may be scat- tered in the different towns within the division. Cases occurred where the three superior officers lived in sepa- rate towns. On this account, these corps were called divisionary companies. Another peculiarity was, that they were subject to the order of the major-general alone, and were never commanded by a brigadier-general. They never were attached to any brigade, but took the place of a brigade ; and on the field, at a general review, they took the right, because they were commanded only by the major-general. This right, or assumption, often caused trouble on great muster-days; and once, when the briga- adier-general ordered the Medford Light Infantry to take
I86
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
the left, the captain marched his company off the field, and returned to Medford without being reviewed. They maintained their cause, and never yielded their priority. The Weston Infantry was organized under the same law, but always gave precedence to the Medford company on account of its greater age.
When Gen. Washington made his visit at Cambridge, in 1789, he was attracted by the superior appearance of the Medford company on parade, and took great pains to ask Gen. Brooks what corps it was, and passed a high compliment on it.
There were many companies organized in the Common- wealth under the law; some artillery, some cavalry, but generally infantry. On general-review days, the major- general and his staff would ride and stop in front of a bri- gade, and there go through with their examinations and reviews : when they came to the Medford Light Infantry, they would all stop, and go through the same examina- tions and reviews which belonged to a brigade. This was any thing but agreeable to the reviewing officers, and to the soldiers of the regular brigades. Few only of these companies remain in commission. The Boston and Salem Cadets are yet flourishing. In 1840 the question of the companies, organized under the law of 1785, taking the right of brigades, came up again, and was decided against the divisionary corps ; and they are now "subject to the rules and regulations that are already provided for the general government of the militia."
Major-Gen. Brooks certified to the Governor, in 1786, that he thought it expedient that a divisionary corps should be raised in his division; and, as the Medford Light Infantry had united in petitioning for organization, the petition was granted, and the organization took place Nov. 29, 1786. The choice of officers on that day re- sulted as follows :-
Ephraim Hall
Captain.
Francis Hall
Captain's Lieutenant.
Samuel Buel
Lieutenant.
The office of ensign was not deemed indispensable; and none was chosen till May 3, 1791, when J. Bucknam was elected. The names of the commanders of this long- respected and efficient company are as follows : -
187
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
Ephraim Hall (promoted to an aide-de-camp in 1790) 1786 to 1790.
Name unknown
1790 to 1798.
Andrew Hall
1798 to 1803.
Ebenezer Hall, jun.
1803 to 1806.
Nehemiah Wyman, of Charlestown
1806 to 1808.
Caleb Blanchard
1808 to 1809.
John Cutter
1809 to 1811.
Ephraim Bailey
18II to 1814.
J. P. Clisby
1814 to 1815.
Thomas Shed
1815 to 1818.
Gersham Cutter 1818 to 1821.
John P. Bigelow .
1821 to 1823.
Martin Burrage
1823 to 1824.
Edmund Symmes 1824 to 1827.
On the IIth of January, 1828, it resigned its charter, and has never been revived. For the first twenty-five years of its existence, this company stood among the first for celerity and grace of drill-exercise and martial manœu- vre. It felt that it had a sort of brigade character to sus- tain ; and the ambitious young men of Medford joined heartily to make it the banner corps of the county.
In the war of 1812 this company was called to guard the powder-house, and did duty there for some weeks. The zeal for military display declined after 1814, and there was only an annual training for keeping up the show of warlike preparation.
In 1828, when the Medford Light Infantry had resigned its charter, Capt. John Sparrell was ordered to enroll its members in his company of militia. He did so; and, in that autumn, he appeared at a muster in Malden with a hundred and ninety-six men, rank and file.
March 7, 1831 : A hundred knapsacks were ordered by the town for the use of the militia.
BROOKS PHALANX.
Sept. 22, 1841 : Fifty-two citizens of Medford petitioned the Governor for a charter to establish a company of vol- unteer militia, to be attached to the Fifth Regiment of infantry, in the first brigade and third division of Massa- chusetts militia. This petition was granted; and the com- pany adopted the name of Brooks Phalanx, in honor of Gov. Brooks.
Oct. 1I, 1841 : The following officers were chosen :-
Samuel Blanchard .
Captain. H. N. Peak
Ist Lieutenant.
Joseph W. Mitchell
2d Lieutenant.
James B. Gregg
3d Lieutenant.
188
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
A constitution and by-laws having been adopted, the first parade was on the 22d of August, and the company made a fine appearance.
Aug. 21, 1843: The ladies of Medford presented the Phalanx with a beautiful standard. The ceremony took place before the meeting-house of the First Parish, and was worthy the occasion.
Capt. Blanchard having been promoted to the office of lieutenant-colonel, he resigned his office as commander of the Phalanx ; and Nov. 13, 1844, James W. Brooks was chosen as his successor. In 1846 Capt. Brooks was hon- orably discharged, and April 10 Charles Caldwell was elected captain. After serving acceptably, he resigned ; and May 9, 1849, Gilman Griffin was elected in his place. The last meeting held by the company was Dec. 18, 1849, when it was concluded to discontinue the organization, re- sign the charter, and return the standard to the ladies who gave it. The standard was kept for a time in the Town Hall.
LAWRENCE LIGHT GUARD.
This excellent corps, whose career has an historical in- terest, and reflects the highest honor on the town, was organized Oct. 1, 1854, as Company E, Fifth Regiment, Massachusetts Light Infantry. Its first officers were as follows : Henry W. Usher, captain ; Asa Law, first lieuten- ant ; Thomas R. Hadley, second lieutenant ; Samuel C. Lawrence, third lieutenant; and B. W. Parker, fourth lieutenant. Its rank and file numbered sixty men, all citi- zens of Medford. The company maintained a prosperous existence ; and Asa Law, Samuel C. Lawrence, and John Hutchins were its successive commanders down to the period of the civil war.
In 1861 the events which furnish material for American history accumulated rapidly. Treason against the general government, long contemplated and well organized, was consummated in the attack on Fort Sumter, April 12. Three days after, President Lincoln issued a call for sev- enty-five thousand volunteers to defend the capital of the nation. The call awoke all the patriotism of the North, and the response was prompt and enthusiastic. Massa- chusetts was the first to move, and immediately com- menced sending her troops to the front. On the 18th of April, Col. Samuel C. Lawrence, commanding the Fifth
189
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
Regiment, issued marching orders to his command. These were taken by his brother, Daniel W. Lawrence, Esq., to the commanders of the different companies, during the dark hours of the night before the 19th of April; and it is a noticeable coincidence, that Mr. Lawrence's hurried journey followed the same roads taken by Paul Revere, just eighty-six years before, in his famous "midnight ride." The errands of the messengers were identical, and they were animated by an equally patriotic purpose. The next day the several companies of the regiment, in- cluding the Lawrence Light Guard, reported at Boston. It was an instance of extraordinary despatch. The men had no time to set their homes in order, and scant oppor- tunity to bid farewell to their families.
The muster-roll of the company, as it left its armory to begin its service of three months, was as follows : -
John Hutchins, captain.
John G. Chambers, Ist lieutenant. Perry Coleman, 2d lieutenant.
William H. Pattee, 3d lieutenant.
Eames, John H.
Emerson, William B. F.
Fletcher, Joel M.
Fletcher, Stephen W.
Fowler, Stephen D.
Ginn, James F.
Hadley, Charles R.
Haskell, Alfred.
Luther F. Brooks, corporal.
Hawkins, Henry M.
Richard Pitts, musician.
Holman, Herbert A.
Alden, William F.
Hoyt, John H.
Aldridge, William H. H.
Ireland, Henry A., jun.
Austin, Ebenezer V.
Jacobs, Henry B.
Bain, Martin V. B.
Keene, Lewis H.
Benham, Daniel.
Kuhn, Charles H.
Bisbee, Horatio, jun.
Lawrence, Lemuel P.
Bishop, John.
Lewis, Augustus B.
Booker, George D.
Loring, Freeman A.
Braden, Angus.
Lord, Lewis P.
Carr, John P. Carr, Royal S.
Palmer, Edward J.
Clapp, Meltiah O.
Peak, George E.
Currier, Sidney. Curtis, Frank J.
Pearsons, Jonas M. Pierce, Elisha N.
Cushing, Henry H. D.
Prouty, William L.
Cushing, Pyam, jun.
Ramsdell, Emery W.
Dane, William H.
Reed, Henry F.
Davis, Joseph.
Richards, Manville F.
Davis, William L.
Dede, Herman.
Dow, Albert F.
Duckerell, William J.
I. F. R. Hosea, Ist sergeant. Samuel M. Stevens, sergeant. James A. Bailey, sergeant. William H. Lawrence, sergeant. Sanford Booker, corporal.
William J. Crooker, corporal.
Benjamin Moore, corporal.
Bragdon, Stephen M.
Manning, James.
Burbank, William H.
Mills, Palemon C.
Morrison, Isaac T.
Richardson, Caleb T.
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HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
Robertson, Edwin H.
Teel, George M.
Russell, Charles.
Thorpe, Alfred M.
Russell, Hubbard, jun.
Tufts, Augustus.
Sawyer, George.
Tupper, George F.
Sherman, Gilbert B.
Turner, James H. R.
Smith, Jones L.
Turner, Samuel H.
Smith, Joseph.
Usher, James F.
Taylor, James H.
The farewell and God-speed given to the Lawrence Light Guard, before they left Medford, should not be omitted from these pages. It was a sincere, hearty, and grand expression of the popular feeling, and all the more honorable to the company because it was an impromptu and spontaneous act.
The people of the town, hearing that the Lawrence Light Guard were about to leave the peaceful homes and pursuits, and go forth to smite the hateful and traitorous Rebellion, hurried to the centre of the town, hoping to see them once more before they departed, and possibly speak to them, or at any rate wave them a sad "good-by." But the gathering quickly took the form of solemn audience. The assembly was organized, the company was drawn up in a hollow square, and the brave men were duly and ten- derly commended to the loving care of the living God. This service was led by the local Methodist clergyman, Rev. Jarvis A. Ames ; and never was a more devout, ear- nest, patriotic, and Christian prayer sent up to the throne of God, than fell from the lips of that noble man. He seemed like one on whom the spirit of inspiration had fallen ; and while the tears of loving friends fell like rain, many a hearty "amen !" was uttered by Christian men and women, who felt that God was listening to their ear- nest supplications.
The service was brief, but touchingly beautiful ; and every soldier was cheered and strengthened by it, and felt as he marched away that he was led by One greater and more faithful than any earthly commander.
The people of Medford were deeply moved on many occasions, when their neighbors and friends went to and returned home from the war; but never were they so touched by potencies that seemed divine, as when the Law- rence Light Guard went forth into our nation's second struggle for freedom. Then the conviction was forced home upon them, that the war was actually begun. Then they began to realize the labors and sacrifices it would cost.
191
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
The Fifth Regiment was quartered in Faneuil Hall until the morning of the 21st of April, when it left for New York, and from thence proceeded at once to Wash- ington, and became a part of the great force that rapidly accumulated at that place. It was mustered into the Fed- eral service for three months from the first day of May, and awaited further orders. During the second week in July, only a short time before its term of service was to expire, it was ordered into camp on the other side of the Potomac. The battle of Bull Run was then imminent, and on the 2Ist of July it occurred. The Light Guard of Medford, with its regiment, was in the disastrous fight, and suffered severely. Col. Lawrence was wounded in the side by a splinter from a shattered tree. Sergeant William H. Law- rence, color-bearer, was shot through the breast, while waving the flag in advance of the company. He had a strong premonition of the result of that battle to him personally, and said to a comrade on the previous day, " I shall surely be riddled to-morrow ;" yet that conviction did not make him hesitate in the performance of his duty. His heroism made him worthy to be the first Medford volunteer who gave his life to his country.
In this battle, Corporal William J. Crooker received a scalp wound, and Private John H. Hoyt was taken prisoner.
Ten days after, the Fifth Regiment was mustered out of the United-States service, and the Lawrence Light Guard returned to Medford. The record it had made, in the face of the enemy, was honorable; and the town was proud of its first contribution to the Union army.
It was nearly a year from this time before Medford was called upon for another contribution of soldiers for the army. The early hopes of a speedy ending of the Rebel- lion were doomed to perish, and the country saw the wis- dom of the next great act of President Lincoln, in making a requisition upon the States for three hundred thousand men, for three years. Early in the month of July, 1862, the selectmen of the town received a general order, which called for eighty-eight volunteers from Medford "for three years, or the war ;" and, by direction of the Governor, they acted as recruiting-officers. They called to their assistance Messrs. Charles Currier and Daniel W. Law- rence ; and, after a bounty of seventy-five dollars to each volunteer had been voted by the town, an ineffectual attempt was made to meet the demands of the general
192
HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
order. Then, without delay, another town-meeting was called, at which, July 21, the bounty offered was increased to the sum of a hundred dollars. But the circumstances were not auspicious. Men were not anxious to volunteer at that uncertain and unpromising stage of the war; and on the 29th of that month, the selectmen addressed a communication to the Lawrence Light Guard, asking that company to step to the front once more, and thus enable the town to respond to the requisition of the General Gov- ernment. The company took no time to deliberate upon the matter, but opened their armory at once as a recruit- ing-office ; and the result was, that on the 14th of August, a full company of a hundred and one men, including a · large number of the old members, were sworn into the service of the United States " for three years, or the war."
The following is a roll of the members of the com- pany : -
John Hutchins, captain. Perry Coleman, Ist lieutenant. Isaac F. R. Hosea, 2d lieutenant. Samuel M. Stevens, ist sergeant. Henry H. D. Cushing, sergeant. John H. Eames, sergeant.
Albert F. Dow, sergeant.
Samuel H. Turner, sergeant.
Samuel G. Jepson, corporal. George D. Booker, corporal. Joel M. Fletcher, corporal. William F. Alden, corporal. Henry A. Ireland, jun., corporal.
Meltiah O. Clapp, corporal. Emery W. Ramsdell, corporal. Isaac T. Morrison, corporal. Charles E. Dyer, musician. Edwin F. Kenrick, musician.
George W. Gage, wagoner.
Charles Q. Alley.
Charles H. Ballon.
William S. Barker, jun.
David A. Barnard.
George M. Baxter.
John S. Beck. James Beirne. William H. Blanchard. Dudley Bond. Benjamin M. Briggs. Benjamin Bunker, jun. Stephen Busha. Royal S. Carr.
George H. Champlin. William J. Cheney.
George A. Churchill. George L. Clapp. Charles H. Coolidge. Owen Coughlin. Edward Crockett, jun. Henry G. Currell. Frank J. Curtis.
Joseph M. Cushing.
Benjamin P. Cutter.
Benjamin H. Dow.
Henry L. Dushuttle. Benjamin Ellis, jun. Hezekiah C. Ellis.
Thomas M. Fletcher.
Thomas H. Gillard. Anderson L. B. Gill.
Patrick Gleason.
Edward Goodale.
William Harding.
Elbridge Hartshorn.
Charles H. Haskell.
Edwin B. Hatch.
Henry R. Hathaway.
Nelson F. Hathaway. Rodney C. Hathaway. Andrew J. Heath.
James A. Hervey.
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