USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Medford > History of the town of Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement, in 1630, to the present time, 1855 > Part 14
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"To those who contemplate his fearless intrepidity in the field of battle, or have observed the ease and dignity of his deportment on the military parade, or in the chair of State, it may appear incredi- ble that this brave man possessed an uncommon share of diffidence ; but to those who have approached him nearly, it is well known that this was a predominant trait in his character. This quality, so rare in little minds, is seldom wanting in great ones; but it is scarcely ever so paramount as it was in our departed friend. It was abso- lutely necessary to make use of some degree of finesse to induce him to accept any important office. This great reluctance in as- suming responsibility, sometimes arises from inactivity, or a love of ease : not so in him we would commemorate; for whatever might be his situation, he never was idle.
" The mind of Gov. Brooks was clear in its perceptions, and dis- criminating in its judgment ; it was active, ardent, and industrious in the pursuit of every valuable attainment, and powerful in the application of those attainments for the benefit of others. Although his mind shrunk from observation with the delicate excitability of the sensitive plant, it was like the oak in sustaining the pressure of every duty to his friends or his country.
" In his relation to his native town, he completely reversed the maxim, that a prophet has no honor in his own country ; for the inhabitants of Medford idolized him. They knew liis worth, and fully appreciated it. He was truly their friend and benefactor. He took so deep an interest in all their concerns, let their station in life be ever so humble, that they could always approach him with ease and confidence. They referred to him all their disputes; and so judicious were his decisions, that he had the rare felicity to satisfy all parties, and to reconcile them to bonds of amity. It was ob- served by an eminent lawyer who resided there, that he had no professional business in Medford; for Gov. Brooks prevented all contentions in the law. In addition to these intrinsic services, he was the grace and the ornament of their social circles, and seemed to fill the measure of their enjoyments."
There are a few illustrative facts known to the contempo- raries of Gov. Brooks in Medford, which may be added to to Dr. Dixwell's notice.
He had a real love of pithy anecdotes, and delighted to tell them ; and, though he was tediously long in cracking the shell, we always found the kernel sweet. He never volun- tarily made his successes in the sick-chamber or battle-field
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or cabinet a topic of conversation. He was remarkably fond of society, and loved to see the old and young together. In the street, he never passed any acquaintance without a friendly recognition ; and he has taken me up a hundred times, when a schoolboy, to give me a ride in his chaise. He liked to work on his land ; and, as many of his horticultural experi- ments were suggested by books, he often found them of small pecuniary profit. In the army, he played chess with his friend Kosciusko, and occasionally in Medford enjoyed a social game.
He said that the most fatiguing day he ever spent was the 19th of April, 1775. That, we apprehend, was the auroral hour of his life. He was greater than his means. How many men are less !
Rev. Mr. Foster says : --
"On the morning of the 19th of April, just at sunrise, alarm- guns were fired. The regulars had gone to Concord. I ran directly to Major Brooks, and asked if he were going to Concord, and when ? 'Immediately ' was the answer."
With his minute-men, he pursued the enemy to their boats at Charlestown. Dr. Ripley says : -
" As the enemy passed the road from Bedford, they met a body of minute-men, commanded by Major John Brooks. A little below Bedford Road there was a sharp action, and several of the British were killed."
Rev. Mr. Foster says : -
" The enemy faced about suddenly, and fired a volley of musketry upon us. They overshot. ' The fire was immediately returned, and two British soldiers fell dead in the road near the brook."
Col. Phinney says : -
" A little to the eastward of the village, they received a heavy fire from the Reading minute-men, under Capt John Brooks."
An instance of his sturdy Spartan-like directness of pur- pose and warm zeal was seen in his volunteering to march for the relief of Fort Stanwix (now Rome), at the head of the Mohawk : -
"It was besieged, August, 1777, by one thousand seven hundred British and Indians, under Col. St. Leger. Gen. Herkemer,
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advancing to its aid, had been killed, and his troops dispersed. At a council of officers, it was objected to weaken the main army at Saratoga by sending away any of the regular troops. Gen. Schuy- ler, much depressed and excited, said he would 'beat up for volun- teers the next day, if he could get men by no other means,' and asked for a brigadier to command them. The next day the drum beat for volunteers, and Lieut. Col. Brooks volunteered with his regiment."
How noble to see a man thus putting his shoulder under a forsaken cause !
He considered his efforts at Saratoga as the most effective in his military career. No skill or bravery during the war exceeded his on that occasion. The historian says : -
"On the left of Arnold's detachment, Jackson's regiment of Massachusetts, then led by Lieut. Col. Brooks, was still more suc- cessful. It turned the right of the encampment, and carried by storm the works occupied by the German reserve. Lieut. Brayman was killed; and Brooks maintained the ground he had gained. This advantage of the Americans was decisive."
Another historian, member of the army, says : -
" The capture of Gen. Burgoyne and his army may be attributed in no small degree to the gallant conduct of Col. Brooks and his regiment, on the 7th of October, in the battle at Saratoga."
The same author, an eye-witness, further says : -
" The confidence which Washington reposed in him was shown on many occasions, and particularly in calling him to his councils in that terrible moment when, at Newburg, in March, 1783, a conspi- racy of some of the officers, excited by the publication of inflammatory anonymous letters, had well nigh disgraced the army, and ruined the country. On this occasion, the Commander-in-Chief, to whom this day was the most anxious moment of his life, rode up to Col. Brooks with intent to ascertain how the officers stood affected. Finding him, as he expected, to be sound, he requested him to keep his officers within quarter to prevent them from attending the insurgent meet- ing. Brooks replied: 'Sir, I have anticipated your wishes, and my orders are given.' Washington, with tears in his eyes, took him by the hand, and said : 'COL. BROOKS, THIS IS JUST WHAT I EXPECTED FROM YOU.'"
At the end of the war, he retired, a laurelled hero of the revolution, to private life, and found himself so poor that he opened a small shop in a building next the bridge, on the
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west side of Main Street. He did not succeed in this ; but he bore his poverty with a hero's resolution to conquer it ; and conquer he did.
When first a candidate for Governor in 1816, Medford gave two hundred and thirty-eight votes for him, and twenty- eight for Mr. Dexter. More than twenty-eight votes against him were never given in Medford during the seven years he was Governor.
The uniformity of his example in attending public worship had a powerful influence on the people of Medford. He was never absent, morning or afternoon, when he could be pre- sent ; and his attention to the preacher was profound. He often made an abstract of the sermon. His favorite moral writer was Paley ; and he used to speak of his Hor Paulina as an " unanswerable book." When the controversy between the Calvinists and Unitarians arose in 1820, he took side with the latter, but never liked the extremes of either sect. For many years he had wished to make a public profession of his faith in Christianity ; but had been deterred by the minis- ter's custom of calling upon each candidate to express belief in certain doctrines, some of which doctrines he did not believe. In 1817, he had come to the conclusion that he would announce to Dr. Osgood his convictions, and request him to suppress the objectionable sentence, and thus admit him. The sentence was this : "Sensible of the depravity of the human heart, your own proneness to sin and inability to that which is good, you promise," &c. He did not believe in man's inability to that which is good, and therefore he wished this omitted. Dr. Osgood knew so well his force of mind and purity of life that he yielded to his wishes ; and on the 22d of March, 1818, the Governor of the Common- wealth declared in public his belief in the divine origin of Christianity, and took his seat at the table of the Lord. We who were present, and witnessed that act of dedication, can never forget the solemnity of the scene. There was so much of Socrates and Solon about him, that Christianity did not seem strange to him. He lived as he professed. It seemed to be his youthful resolution to make his life worthy the con- templation of his most elevated moments in old age. Some years after, he was chosen deacon of the church, but declined on account of age.
We may record here an illustration of the truthfulness and depth of his family affections ; an illustration which the
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writer of this witnessed. He said once to his first cousin, Mrs. Jonathan Brooks, " I wish to make a bargain with you. I will promise to be with you when you are sick, and I wish you to promise to be with me when I am sick." She did so promise ; and, after several sicknesses, she performed the last sad duty of closing his eyes in death. A very dangerous illness of Mrs. Brooks occurred, while he, as Governor, was engaged at Boston by the sitting of the Legislature. In the coldest part of the winter, he rode out each day in his chaise to see her. As she became more ill, his attendance increased, and his solicitude was that of a brother. One evening he arrived at eight o'clock ; and, having found her more ill than ever, he jumped into his chaise, drove quickly to his house, and brought back a bottle of particular old wine. He asked to go to the kitchen fire ; her son conducted him there ; and, having opened the wine, he placed himself before the fire, and there made a porringer full of wine-whey. When it was done, he waited to have it cool. He would not accept of any help. He took out a few spoonfuls, and said, " Give your mother that." Her son took it to her with a prayer on his lips. In ten minutes after she had taken it, she whispered to him, " I shall recover." With a heart almost bursting, he rushed to the Governor to announce the tidings. A tear started in his eye: and he said, " Thank God, we shall have her again." I felt at that moment as if I should fall down, and worship him as the saviour of my mother.
When Gen. Lafayette came to Massachusetts in . 1824, he took an early opportunity to dine with his friend and fellow- officer, then living in dignified retirement at Medford. Re- spect for the illustrious stranger, and love for their patriotic townsman, induced the inhabitants to make ample prepara- tions for receiving the guest. On Saturday, Aug. 28, 1824, the General entered Medford, at half-past two o'clock, P. M., from West Cambridge, attended by a few select friends. The notice of his coming was short ; nevertheless, the ladies, with their characteristic enchantment, made flowers from the gar- dens, and evergreens from the fields, fly at their bidding, and arrange themselves into wreaths of beauty and crowns of honor, while the young men spanned the streets with arches, and filled the air with flags. When he crossed the Wear Bridge, the bells began to ring, and the cannon to thunder. The houses were filled with eager and happy gazers, waving handkerchiefs in the joy of recognition. The children of the
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town, in uniform, were stationed in order to salute him, and the huzzas of the crowded streets testified to the triumph and gladness of the occasion. Opposite the front door of the meeting-house of the first parish, a graceful arch spanned the street, having this inscription, " Welcome to our hills and BROOKS." And there, under a canopy of trees, garlands, and flowers, the Selectmen of the town met the General and his cortege ; and they thus addressed him, by Turell Tufts, Esq., their Chairman : -
" General Lafayette, - The Selectmen of Medford, as represen- tatives of the town, deem it a grateful and honorable part of their duty to bid you welcome.
" They are proud, sir, that Medford is the birthplace of one of your companions in arms ; a man who, by his bravery in the field, his patriotism and civic virtues, contributed to acquire as much of glory to our country as honor to himself.
" We rejoice, sir, that you both live to meet again and to enjoy together the consolations fairly derived from your virtuous and heroic deeds.
" The minds of our countrymen traced your course with anxious solicitude through the French Revolution, from your first success in the cause of liberty until the spirit of oppression confined you in a dungeon ; and their hearts were gladdened when, by the influence of our great and good WASHINGTON, their friend was at last set free. In the rich harvest you are now gathering of the expressions of interest and gratitude of this numerous people, whose freedom and happiness your exertions so essentially contributed to establish, we hope you will find some compensation for all your toils, sacrifices, and sufferings ; and we feel much complacency, that in this respect you have gained so complete a triumph over the monarchs of the world.
" Again, sir, we bid you a most cordial welcome; and hope the testimonials of approbation you are receiving from every heart and every tongue will for ever remain an instructive lesson to mankind, - that patriots who endure faithfully to the end shall not lose their reward."
To this, the General replied, in substance, as follows : ----
"Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, - I am most happy, in visiting the town of my old brother-soldier and friend, General Brooks, to be received with so kind a welcome. You speak of 'some com- pensation.' Compensation ! Sir, the smallest part of the delight which I have experienced would more than repay me for all suffer- ings past or to come.
"I beg you to accept my grateful acknowledgments for this cheering welcome."
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The procession soon arrived at General Brooks's house, escorted by the Medford Light Infantry; and, after the introduction of a few friends, dinner was announced.
The dinner was a private one, in the Governor's house, and about twenty only were present. There was a witty discussion at table about the origin of the word hurrah. General Lafayette said, "I know not whence it came ; but, in Massachusetts, I have learned where it has got to." Of all the persons at that table, the writer of this alone sur- vives.
The closing sickness of the patriot was neither long nor full of pain. He bore it with calm acquiescence ; and spoke of it with gratitude, as affording him an opportunity for reviewing his career, and for striking the balance in life's great ledger. He said to his cousin : "My case is beyond physicians. I have received my orders : I am ready to march." The lamp of religion was within him trimmed and burning, and he believed that his life was hid with Christ in God. Never has there died among us a man so widely known, so highly honored, so truly beloved, or so deeply lamented.
His printed compositions were few. The first public ora- tion delivered by him was printed with this title, " An Oration delivered to the Society of the Cincinnati, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts : July 4, 1787. By John Brooks, Esq." This is just such an oration as a sensible and patriotic officer, fresh from the fields of conquest, would deli- ver to his fellow-officers on the Fourth of July.
When President Monroe visited Boston in 1817, he said he had " read the inaugural speech of Governor Brooks with entire approbation ; " and then added, " I am willing to take the principles of that speech as the basis of my admini- stration."
After the death of the Governor, which occurred March 1, 1825, the Massachusetts Medical Society, of which he was then President, took notice of the event in the most appro- priate manner. The next day, March 2, the Councillors of that Society passed the following : -
" Resolved, That the Councillors regard with deep sensibility the loss by death of the late President of the Society, the Hon. John Brooks, and that they feel assured they shall express the senti- ments of the Society, as they do their own, in stating that the Society has derived honor from having had at their head a man
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beloved in private life, justly respected in his profession, and dis- tinguished in his state and country for the faithful and honorable performance of high military and civil duties.
" Resolved, That the Councillors ask permission to attend the obsequies of their late President, both for themselves and the other members of the Society.
" Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to wait on the family, and express to them the sentiments of the Councillors on the bereavement."
The granite pyramid which stands in the old burying- ground has the following inscription : -
"Sacred to the memory of John Brooks, who was born in Med- ford, in the month of May, 1752, and educated at the town-school. He took up arms for his country on the 19th of April, 1775. He commanded the regiment which first entered the enemies' lines at Saratoga, and served with honor to the end of the war. He was appointed Marshal of the District of Massachusetts by President Washington ; and, after filling several important civil and military offices, he was, in the year 1816, chosen Governor of the Common- wealth, and discharged the duties of that station for seven succes- sive years to general acceptance. He was a kind and skilful phy- sician ; a brave and prudent officer; a wise, firm, and impartial magistrate ; a true patriot, a good citizen, and a faithful friend. In his manners, he was a gentleman ; in morals, pure; and in profes- sion and practice, a consistent Christian. He departed this life in peace, on the 1st of March, 1825, aged seventy-three. This monu- ment to his honored memory was erected by several of his fellow- citizens and friends, in the year 1838."
CHAPTER IV.
POLITICAL HISTORY.
MEDFORD takes a rich share in the political honors of the country. At an early date, it expressed its determination to preserve inviolate the rights and privileges secured to the colony by the charter of 1629. When the four colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Haven united, May 19, 1643, under the name of "The United Colonies of New England," their politics and patriotism
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seem to expand together. This fraternal bond was especially strengthened in our ancestors' hearts, when, by the charter of Oct. 7, 1691, Plymouth was annexed to Massachusetts.
May 10, 1643 : The General Court say " that the whole plantation, within this jurisdiction, is divided into four shires ; to wit, Essex, Norfolk, Middlesex, and Suffolk." Each had eight towns, except Norfolk, which had six.
June 4, 1689: "Ensign Peter Tufts was chosen by the town as Representative, according to the Honorable Coun- cil's signification."
May 21, 1690 : " Peter Tufts was chosen Deputy to attend the first session of the General Court, or until another shall be legally chosen."
May 3, 1697 : Voted to pay the Representative 18d. per day, during his services in the General Court."
The indignation of our fathers in Medford, at the oppres- sive taxation of Andross, was expressed by a fisherman, in a pointed figure drawn from his craft. Sir Edward Andross, belonging to that select political family of which Benedict Arnold was an accepted member, was sent by the king as a spy to New England in 1684. He gathered facts from his imagi- nation, and returned to persuade the credulous royal govern- ment that the Colonies had forfeited their charter. This induced the king to appoint him "Governor-General and Vice-Admiral of New England, New York, and the Jerseys." He arrived in Boston, Dec. 29, 1686, and commenced, as despots generally do, with professions of friendship and patriotism. But he came prepared for trampling on the liberties of the people, by bringing with him power to enact laws, raise an army, impose taxes, and abolish the representa- tive system. He thus destroyed townships, and said, - "There is no such thing as a town in the whole country." He and his Council were vested with all legislative and executive powers. And thus the country mourned over their lost charter and fallen liberties. This tyrant contended that every owner of land must renew his title to it, and for his agency the most exorbitant fees were demanded. He levied taxes without any permission from the people or government, and punished cruelly those who refused to pay. The inhabitants of every town were forbidden to meet and exercise their corporate powers, except once a year : and they were told by the Judges, in open Court, " that they had no more privileges left them, than not to be sold for slaves."
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1
The Anglo-Saxon blood of our Puritan Fathers could not brook this ; and they dared to more than think of relief. The great revolution of 1688, in the mother country, ending in the abdication of James, and the accession of William and Mary, afforded an encouraging example on this side the water. That example was promptly followed ; and on the morning of the 18th of April, 1689, the people rose in righteous revolt, seized their oppressor, secured him in prison, and destroyed his government. This was decisive New Englandism. He was soon sent back to London to be tried. Of this odious ruler, one of the Medford people said, " If Andross comes to Medford, we will treat him, not with shad or alewives, but a sword-fish."
The loyalty of our fathers was seen in their holding days of public fasting and prayer when sorrow or defeat visited the mother country, and of holding days of thanksgiving when prosperity and triumph blessed the king. As an example, we would mention a day of rejoicing set apart in Medford, October 14, 1743, on account of victory gained by the English troops in Germany.
1753: Medford was fined £10 for omitting to send a re- presentative to the General Court; but, January 10, 1754, this fine was remitted.
Our town, though small, did its share in Philip's War, and raised money and men to put down that intelligent and brave Indian enemy. The same spirit of liberty breathed in their souls at a later day ; and, when the odious Stamp Act was proclaimed, the inhabitants of Medford came together, as with a rush, on the 21st of October, 1765, to express their sober convictions of its unconstitutionality and injustice. With entire unanimity, they addressed a letter to their repre- sentative, protesting against some former acts of Parliament, but most emphatically against " this most grievous of all acts, wherein a complication of those burdens and restraints are unhappily imposed, which will undeniably deprive us of those invaluable liberties and privileges which we, as free- born Britons, have hitherto enjoyed." Professing loyalty to their king and parliament, they nevertheless say, that, " when- ever they require such an obedience from us as is incompati- ble with the enjoyment of our just liberties and properties, we cannot but arise and openly remonstrate against it. And this, we esteem, is so far from a spirit of rebellion and dis- loyalty in us, that to act the contrary would argue in us a
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meanness and degeneracy of spirit much beneath the charac- ter of true Englishmen, and would therefore justly expose us to the contempt of all true lovers of liberty, both in Great Britain and America." -" Therefore we seriously en- join it upon you, as our representative, that you be no ways aiding or assisting in the execution of said act." This lan- guage, with them of prophecy, had a meaning almost as clear as it has with us of history. Their words have that political polarity which points at ultimate independence. If every little village in the Province was thus moved with quick indignation at the first instance of positive oppression, does it not prove the existence of a general sympathy and a united brotherhood which will be unconquerable ? Medford felt every pulsation of the central heart, and spoke openly what she felt, and was ready to act as nobly as she spoke. The above resolves and instructions of the town were among the first and firmest of the acts of resistance to royal oppression.
On the 18th of March, 1766, Parliament repealed the odi- ous act by a vote of two hundred and seventy-five to one hundred and sixty-seven. The joy exhibited at Medford, on this event, was most intense, and was manifested by fire- works, ringing of bells, and jubilant dinners.
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