USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Dover > Narrative history : a history of Dover, Massachusetts, as a precinct, parish, district, and town > Part 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SPRINGFIELD PARISH IN THE REVOLUTION.
BATTLE OF LEXINGTON - DEATH OF ELIAS HAVEN - CAPT. EBENEZER BATTLE'S COMPANY OF MINUTE - MEN - BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL - DORCHESTER HEIGHTS - BATTLE OF TRENTON - VALLEY FORGE - CHERRY VAL- LEY - CONTINENTAL MONEY - REVOLUTIONARY SUP- PLIES - PETITION OF DANIEL WHITING TO GENERAL COURT - DISCIPLINE OF CONTINENTAL ARMY.
" Swift as the summons came they left The plough, mid-furrow, standing still, The half ground corn-grist in the mill, The spade in earth, the axe in cleft.
"They went where duty seemed to call, They scarcely asked the reason why ; They only knew they could but die, And death was not the worst of all."
At the breaking out of the Revolutionary War the Springfield Parish contained a population of some three hundred and fifty souls, scattered over the entire terri- tory ; and, before the war closed, more than thirty per cent. of the inhabitants took part in one or more engage- ments, and several served for years in the Continental Army. Although the spirit of liberty was abroad, some of the most prominent citizens of this little hamlet were strong adherents of the King.
On one occasion the residents had seen British officers upon their streets, who from time to time rode out into the country to break the monotony of their life in Boston. They knew these soldiers were sent to
SPRINGFIELD PARISH IN THE REVOLUTION 91
support the strong arm of King George. They were in close touch with all that transpired in Boston ; and some may have looked upon the bodies of the " Boston martyrs " I who were killed on King Street, now State Street, on the evening of March 5, 1770, by British soldiers.
" From the moment the blood of those men stained the pavement of Boston streets," Daniel Webster said, " we may date the severance of the colony from the British kingdom."
In 1773 Dedham voted to unite with other towns in a measure to protect their liberties. The next year companies of minute-men were organized. Capt. Eben- ezer Battle stood at the head of the company in the Springfield Parish, which included nearly all the able- bodied men in the parish.
The morning of April 19 was a bright, crisp morning. The cherry-trees were in bloom, the grass waved in the fields, and the farmers were busy ploughing or sowing grain.
About nine o'clock a messenger hurriedly passed through the parish on his way to Dedham, and an- nounced the movement of the British. The company of minute-men was hastily summoned ; and in an incred- ibly short time the farmers gathered from the remotest parts of the parish, and formed on the green near the tavern. Aaron Whiting, who was ploughing in the field when the summons came, left the plough in the furrow and his oxen to be unyoked and driven to pasture by his wife. Later a hurrying company of minute-men from Walpole passed through the parish.
I Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, Patrick Carr, Samuel Maverick.
92
HISTORY OF DOVER
How the command of Captain Battle to "march" must have rung in their ears ! He led his men directly to Watertown, and took the highway which led to Me- notomy, that part of Cambridge which is now Arling- ton, where the Dover farmers
" Gave them ball for ball
From behind each fence and farmyard wall."
Elias Haven, standing near the meeting-house, was shot down by a British soldier, and is buried under the monument erected in Arlington in 1848. Our minute- men engaged in the hottest part of the fight. At Me- notomy, it is said, occurred the most deadly skirmish of the day, not excepting the fight at Concord Bridge. The British loss was heaviest here, and of the forty-nine patriots killed that day twenty-two fell at Menotomy. It is said that the minute-men went forth to this en- counter full of courage and in the strong belief that the contest would soon be over. What must have been the feelings of the aged men, the women, and the children who were forced to remain at home on that eventful day! With what anxiety and uncertainty they saw the sun go down on that 19th of April which marks the beginning of American independence !
What was the effect of this day upon the people ? The Rev. Mr. West, of Needham, who mingled much with his people on that day, says, " We even anticipated the enemy, enraged as they were, at our door, in our homes, acting over all the horrors which usually attend the progress of an exasperated victorious army, espe- cially in civil wars like this." He further adds, "This memorable day appeared to have a surprising effect on
SPRINGFIELD PARISH IN THE REVOLUTION 93
the spirit of the people in general ; and from being, as I had supposed them, and as they were actually, mild and gentle, they became at once ferocious, cruel,- at least towards all those whom they suspected as unfriendly to their cause."
The following letter by John Jones, Jr., captain of a Princeton company of minute-men, and a former resident of this parish, written three days after the en- gagement, is of interest :
CAMBRIDGE, April 22, 1775.
Loving Wife,- There was a hot battle fought between the Regulars that marched to Concord and our people on Wednes- day, the 19th of this instant, in which many on both sides were slain (but most of the enemy), as we heard before we marched.
As we marched to Concord, we were often informed that the enemy had marched from Boston a second time, and had got as far as Lincoln. We hurried on as fast as possible, expecting to meet them in Concord; but when we arrived there we were in- formed that they had returned from their first engagement to Charlestown, from which they have gone to Boston. We are now stationed in one of ye colleges, as are many more of ye army, all in good health, through ye divine goodness and hope of ye bless- ings of heaven. In ye first combat, among those that were slain were Lieut. John Bacon, of Needham, two Mills, Nat. Chamb'n, and two others from Needham, Elias Haven from Springfield. If you have an opportunity, you may send brother Hapgood a shirt and pair of stockings. I'm uncertain when we shall return. May we all be enabled to turn to our God, that he may save us from ruin! I am, with greatest respect, your affectionate and loving husband till death.
JOHN JONES.
Jabez Baker brought back from the Lexington Alarm a "red coat " which he stripped from a British soldier who had been killed. A part of this coat was in exist-
94
HISTORY OF DOVER
ence as late as 1866, and was used on Strawberry Hill to scare crows from a corn-field.
In the archives at the State House is preserved the original muster-roll of the company which marched from Dover on April 19, under Captain Battle.
The roll is given in full, with the name of each man, number of miles travelled, and days' absence, be- cause it speaks more eloquently of the patriotism of our fathers than any words that will ever be. spoken in their praise.
A ROLL MADE UP BY CAPT. EBENEZER BATTLE, OF DEDHAM, THE FOURTH PARISH, FROM APRIL 19 TO DECEMBER 20, 1775.
Name.
Dignity.
Miles.
Days.
Ebenezer Battle
Capt.
40
13
Daniel Whiting
Ist Lieut.
40
8
John Battle
2d
40
6
James Cheney
Sargent
40
3
Joseph Fisher
40
8
Jesse Knap
40
8
Jabez Baker
40
12
Theodore Newell
Corporal
40
8
John Chickering
40
6
Ebenezer Richards
66
30
4
Moses Richards
40
12
Hezekiah Battle
Fifer
40
3
Samuel Richards
Private
40
4
David Cleveland
40
4
Thomas Gardner
40
IO
Henry Tisdale
66
40
4
Nathan Metcalf
40
3
Aaron Fairbanks
40
8
Jeremiah Bacon
40
6
Asa Mason
40
13
William Fisher
66
40
4
SPRINGFIELD PARISH IN THE REVOLUTION 95
Name.
Dignity.
Miles.
Days.
James Mann
Private
40
7
Elias Haven
40
I
Ebenezer Battle, Jr.
66
40
8
John Cheney
40
II
Jabez Whiting
66
40
8
Luke Dean
40
9
Joseph Chickering
66
40
4
Daniel Chickering
66
30
4
Elias Stimson
66
40
6
Moses Bacon
40
7
Josiah Battle
66
40
7
John Ellis
30
I
Josiah Bacon, Jr.
1
40
12
Seth Wight
40
5
Ephraim Bacon, Jr.
30
4
Moses Mason
66
40
3
John Mason
66
40
8
William Mansfield
66
40
3
Samuel Fisher
66
30
6
Richard Richards
66
40
3
Thomas Burridge
66
40
5
Joseph Draper, Jr.
40
5
Timothy Allen
66
40
3
Barach Smith
66
40
2
Thomas Ferrett
66
30
2
David Fuller
66
40
2
Ephraim Wilson
66
40
6
Samuel Wilson
66
40
4
Joseph Parker
66
40
9
Silas Taft
66
40
3
Oliver Kenrick
40
2
Moses Draper
66
30
4
Aaron Whiting
66
40
8
Ebenezer Allen
66
30
6
Thomas Morse
66
40
3
Hezekiah Allen
30
1
Nathaniel Chickering
30
2
96
HISTORY OF DOVER
Name.
Dignity. Private
Miles.
Days.
James Draper
30
I
John Fisher
66
40
IO
Asa Richards
66
30
2
Solomon Richards
66
30
3
Ralph Day
66
40
2
Daniel Chickering
40
3
John Draper
30
I
Eben Smith
66
30
2
It will be observed that the members of this company were absent from one to thirteen days, but a majority of them returned in less than a week to tell of the flight of the British and of their eager pursuit. After the battle of Lexington men crowded the road to Bos- ton, anxious to do service ; but no army was created for the war. Enlistments were made for eight months.
The battle of Bunker Hill is of peculiar interest to the people of this parish, as seventeen residents took part in the battle, under Capt. Daniel Whiting, as fol- lows : Luke Dean, Samuel Chickering, Lemuel Her- ring, Samuel Wilson, Jesse Knapp, Joseph Draper, Moses Draper, Petetiah Herring, Thomas Morse, Aaron Whiting, Hezekiah Battle, James Gay, Ebene- zer Gay, Joseph Smith, Josiah Richards, Nathan Cook. Daniel Fuller, a lad of fifteen years, was a drummer- boy ; and tradition has it that he was in the battle in Captain Whiting's company.
Captain Whiting's company consisted of fifty-six men, and was a part of Col. Jonathan Brewer's regi- ment, which consisted of three hundred and seventy- seven soldiers. Colonel Sweet states that this regiment went on three hundred strong, but the Revolution depositions state one hundred and fifty. It is known
SPRINGFIELD PARISH IN THE REVOLUTION 97
that Daniel Whiting's company took part in the battle. Brewer's regiment was placed, says Frothingham in his " Siege of Boston," I on the diagonal line between the breastwork and rail-fence. Seven men of the regiment were killed and eleven men wounded. Little is given in detail of this regiment ; but it is said that the officers conducted themselves with great bravery, and that Colonel Brewer was often consulted by Prescott.
The following is related by the eldest daughter 2 of Captain Whiting,-a strong poetic touch concerning the battle of Bunker Hill: "The year of the battle my father and I were rowed over in a ferry-boat from Boston to Charlestown, that he might show me where the battle was fought. In ascending the hill I was sur- prised to observe the singular appearance of the grass, as it grew in spots and lines exceedingly high and rank. ' Those places,' said my father, ' that seem enriched by little streams of water are made verdant by the blood of the slain.'"
Many sons and daughters of the Revolution in this place trace their lineage to those who took part in this famous battle. The epitaph on the gravestone of Aaron Whiting in Dover cemetery thus refers to his having been in the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill : --
" Reader, beneath this stone a patriot's ashes lie, One who raised our country's flag on high At Lexington and Bunker's bloody fight, When struggling hard for freedom's holy right."
As already shown, the army was enlisted for an eight months' service. When Washington took command of
2 Mrs. Artimas Woodward.
I Page 182.
98
HISTORY OF DOVER
the army, in July, 1775, there were sixteen thousand seven hundred and seventy men surrounding Boston and Charlestown. Washington immediately made him- self familiar with his army. It is said that the enthu- siasm of the soldiers was unbounded, but during the fall it waned. Redoubts and breastworks had been thrown up. From time to time some were killed and others wounded, yet this was not war. They were encamped in huts made of logs, stones, branches, etc., in the midst of pleasant fields and grateful shades ; but as winter approached they grew tired of this life. They were poorly clad, and suffered for want of proper food and fuel with which to cook it. Under these circumstances Washington soon saw that a new army must be raised. The year 1776 opened with a new army. The bravest and most patriotic of the old army formed the nucleus of the new ; and of our brave soldiers we find Capt. Ebenezer Battle at the head of a company of thirty-two men, all from Dover except three, with Jesse Knapp as first lieutenant. After the new army had been organized, it was determined as soon as possible to drive the British from Boston ; but during the winter the council of war recommended no action. In February, Washington stated that two thousand of his men were without fire-locks, and that he was obliged to conceal the state of his army even from his own officers. At a council of war held February 16, 1776, it was decided that a cannonade and bombardment of Boston should be made as soon as a sufficient supply of powder was received, and that preparation should be made to take possession of Dorchester Heights and Noddle's Island if circumstances admitted, in order to
SPRINGFIELD PARISH IN THE REVOLUTION 99
draw out the enemy. On the night of March 4, while the attention of the British was taken up by a severe cannonade, General Washington marched to take pos- session of Dorchester Heights, overlooking the harbor. During the night two forts were sufficiently advanced to form a protection against small arms and grape-shot. Heath wrote, " Perhaps there never was as much work done in so short a time." On the morning of March 5, the anniversary of the Boston massacre, the British were surprised to behold the redoubts that had been thrown up during the night. "The rebels have done more in one night than my whole army could have done in a month," remarked General Howe.
As these works commanded both the harbor and the town, and as General Howe was thwarted in his plans to attack them on the morning of March 7, he deter- mined to evacuate the city ; and Washington, although disappointed in not having an engagement, had the proud satisfaction of seeing General Howe, after all his proud boasting, evacuate the city and sail away with his troops. Thomas Larrabee was in Boston when the British evacuated the city, and was one of a company of young men who swapped tobacco with British soldiers as they marched down the street to embark.
A British officer wrote, concerning the wonderful work of fortifying Dorchester Heights, "They raised the forts with an expedition equal to that of the genie belonging to Aladdin's wonderful lamp." This work compelled the British to evacuate Boston. Forty- four men from this parish engaged at Dorchester : Capt. Ebenezer Battle, Jesse Knapp, Asa Mason, Joseph Fisher, Asa Richards, Aaron Fairbanks, Heze-
100
HISTORY OF DOVER
kiah Battle, Joseph Parker, Samuel Chickering, Solo- mon Richards, Thomas Gardner, Josiah Battle, Moses Richards, Ephraim Wilson, Jabez Whiting, Richard Richards, Josiah Richards, Barach Smith, James Gay, Luke Dean, Elias Stimson, Nathan Cook, Joseph Smith, Samuel Farrington, Samuel Wilson, Moses Bacon, Nathaniel Metcalf, Jesse Ellis, John Mason, Thadeus Richards, William Fisher, Ebenezer Gay, Eleazer Allen, Jeremiah Bacon, Ebenezer Battle, James Draper, Ebenezer Richards, Henry Tisdale, Timothy Allen, Josiah Bacon, Jr., John Chickering, James Mann, Ebenezer Smith, Aaron Whiting.
The parish thus had an honorable part in gaining the first great military operation of the Revolutionary War at Dorchester Heights, by which Massachusetts was delivered from the invasion of an army consisting of eleven thousand veteran British soldiers.
In the spring of 1776, after the evacuation of Boston, Washington hastened with his army to New York ; and we find the Springfield Parish soldiers moving on to Ticonderoga and other points in New York. In after years, as they gathered round the tavern fire, they recalled, to the great delight of young men, their weary march and privations in the wilderness of Ver- mont. The original enlistment-sheet, which bears the signatures of our soldiers, is preserved in the State archives ; and, as illustrating the military requirements of the time, we give it in full : -
We whose names are underwritten do hereby severally enlist ourselves into the service of the United American colonies, and severally promise and engage to continue in such service until the first day of December, 1776, unless sooner discharged, and to
SPRINGFIELD PARISH IN THE REVOLUTION 10I
furnish ourselves each with a good effective firearm and, if possible, a bayonet fitted thereto, or in lieu thereof a hatchet or tomahawk, a cartridge box, knapsack, and blanket. We also in like manner promise and engage to obey all the lawful commands of the officers appointed or to be appointed over us pursuant to the Resolves of the General Court of the Colony of Massachu- setts Bay, under the direction of such officers to march with the utmost despatch to Charlestown in New Hampshire, and to be subject to all such rules and regulations, in every respect, as are provided for the Continental Army. Signed : Ezra Gay, Jonathan Whiting, Abijah Crane, Jesse Ellis, Lemuel Richards, Ichabod Farrington, Thomas Larrabee, Nathaniel Chickering, Samuel Chickering, Barach Smith, Ebenezer Gay, Nathan Cook, Thadeus Richards, Samuel Farrington, James Gay, Elias Stimson, Abner Nevers.
In the memorable battle of Trenton, December 26, 1776, we have a special interest, as Thomas Larrabee, of this parish, was one of the twelve men who rowed General Washington across the Delaware River. The password on that stormy day previous to the engage- ment was "Victory or death." The importance of this battle is not often emphasized. Abraham Lincoln, addressing the Senate of New Jersey in 1861, said : “I remember all the accounts given in Weem's 'Life of Washington,' of the battlefields and struggles for the liberties of the country ; and none fixed themselves upon my imagination so deeply as the struggle here at Trenton. The crossing of the river, the contest with the Hessians, the great hardships endured at that time, -all fixed themselves on my memory more than any single Revolutionary event. I recollect thinking then, boy even though I was, that there must have been something more than common that these men struggled for."
102
HISTORY OF DOVER
In this contest Washington risked all, and gained the first real victory of the war of the Revolution. Before the battle Washington wrote his brother: "You can form no idea of the perplexity of my situation. No man, I believe, ever had greater choice of difficulties and less means to extricate himself from them."
Washington moved with a detachment of the main army of twenty-four hundred troops. Each soldier had three days' cooked rations, and each carried forty rounds of ammunition. With this small army Washing- ton put the Hessians to flight. When the news of the surrender of Trenton was taken to Washington, he exclaimed, " This is a glorious day for our country !" while the colonial secretary of state of King George wrote, " All our hopes were blasted by that unhappy affair at Trenton."
It was a glorious day for our country, for the Declara- tion of Independence was being made a reality. The soldiers, who had left the blood-stains of their bare feet by the way, felt encouraged, and the people inspired.
The scene is thus described by George Hobart : -
" One Christmas night, long years ago, When shrilly cold winds blew, And through the darkened air the snow On frozen pinions flew, A little band of patriot souls Stood, brave and fearless, where In iciness and anger rolls The fretful Delaware.
" Nor ice, nor storm, nor cruel blast Can hold these heroes back :
They have resolved,- the die is cast For Freedom's cause ! A track
SPRINGFIELD PARISH IN THE REVOLUTION 103
Of blood upon the snow they 've left From shoeless feet and bare ; Of all life's comforts they 're bereft Beside the Delaware.
" But 'Onward ! onward !' is the word Their brave commander speaks.
When through the storm his voice is heard, Each son of Freedom seeks To do his bidding ; put aside Is every woe and care :
There's vict'ry o'er the icy tide, Across the Delaware.
" On through the gloomy, stormy night With hardships dire they cope,
' For God, and Native Land, and Right !' Their watchword and their hope, Until at last, all cold and dank, They greet the morning's glare. Safe through the tide they've reached the bank, Across the Delaware."
Thomas Larrabee was a member of General Wash- ington's body-guard, and his testimony confirmed the statements so often made regarding the general's quiet and dignified demeanor. Mr. Larrabee used to say that only once during a service of several years did he see General Washington laugh. This was when our boats were crossing the Delaware River. The first boat's crew did not estimate the strength of the current, and fell far below the landing-place; while the second boat, which Washington occupied, through his accurate judgment and the strong arms of the boatmen was brought exactly to the landing. As Washington stepped upon the shore, he clapped his hands and audibly laughed.
104
HISTORY OF DOVER
With all the trials and hardships endured at Valley Forge we have a lively interest, as Daniel Whiting, and perhaps others, shared the danger, the cold, the hunger, the privations, of that historic spot. The oft-repeated description of the Continental soldier applies perhaps as well to our men as to any other : -
Who is this that toils up yonder hill, his footsteps stained with blood ? His bare feet peep through his worn-out shoes, his legs nearly naked from the tattered remains of an old pair of stock- ings, his breeches not enough to cover his nakedness, his shirt hanging in strings, his hair dishevelled, his face wan and thin, his look hungry, his whole appearance that of a man forsaken and neglected.
Yet amid all this suffering their fortitude remained, and doubt did not shake their love of country. No more enduring example of devotion to duty can be found than that exhibited by the American yeoman of the Revolution.
General Lafayette caused a fort to be built at Cherry Valley, N.Y., the most important settlement in the eastern part of that State. In November, 1778, the village was attacked by a large force of Indians and Tories, led by Walter Butler and Joseph Brant, the Mohawk chief. Col. Ichabod Alden, of Massachusetts, was in command of the fort, with about two hundred and fifty Continental troops.
On November 8 Colonel Alden received word from Fort Schuyler that the fort was about to be attacked. Daniel Whiting, of the Springfield Parish, was an officer under Colonel Alden. For several days previous to the attack Captain Whiting had traversed the land far and wide to discover some trace of the Indians. On the
SPRINGFIELD PARISH IN THE REVOLUTION 105
morning of November 11, 1778, Judge Wells, in whose house some of the officers lived, barely escaped an Ind- ian arrow. Captain Whiting ran to the fort, bolted the doors, and fired upon the pursuing foe. Colonel Alden, who remained long enough in the house to put on his boots, was struck down by an Indian tomahawk ; and Colonel Stacy was captured. When all attempts to gain the fort were found to be in vain, the Indians sur- rounded the house and perpetrated the most fiendish cruelties upon many of the inhabitants.
One mother fled to the woods. With her babe in her arms, and her children around her, she lay through a cold stormy night under a log, where she heard the yells of the savages as they passed near her. Her hus- band, who was an officer in the fort, gained permission from Captain Whiting to send a small force, who at the risk of their lives succeeded in bringing her and the children safely back.
Burgoyne's troops spent the early winter of 1777 in the environs of Boston ; and Lieut. Ebenezer Newell, Nathaniel Mellen, Joseph Cheney, and James Cheney enlisted for a five months' service in guarding these troops. They were paid by the town one hundred and twelve pounds for this service.
As it was difficult to find men who were willing to enlist for a long or short service, September 27, 1777, the precinct chose a committee consisting of several men, with Lieut. David Fuller as chairman, to raise men to go into the army.
Governor's Island in Boston Harbor was guarded for eight years, and was called the Castle. During this time none were enlisted for a longer time than three
106
IIISTORY OF DOVER
months, although there were soldiers who remained during the entire time, re-enlisting every three months. Boston Harbor was thus guarded against the entrance of the foe. In the spring of 1778 we find Ellis Whit- ing, Michael Bacon, and Jonathan Battle engaged in this service.
Roxbury was carefully guarded, and some may re- member the old forts which remained for many years as reminders of the siege of Boston.
Among those who guarded fourteen days at Roxbury in 1778 are found the names of Capt. Ebenezer Battle, Barach Smith, Lieut. Asa Richards, Ebenezer Richards, John Cheney, Jeremiah Bacon, Jr., Adam Jones, Josiah Bacon, Jr., Stephen Gay, Josiah Battle, Samuel Farring- ton, Moses Bacon, John Chickering, Hezekiah Battle, Ebenezer Battle, Jr.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.