USA > Massachusetts > The history of Massachusetts, the commonwealth period. 1775-1820 v. III > Part 14
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: . Gordon's Am. Rev. ii. 113. Comp. Reed's Reed, i. 239; Stedman's Am. War, i. 206, 207; Letter of Robert Morris, in Sparks's Washington, iv. 237, note ; and Austin's Life of Ger-
ry, i. 277. The soldiers from New England were called " Yankees " by the southerners; and they, in turn, were called " Buckskins " by the New Englanders. Thacher's Jour. 61.
132
MORE TROOPS CALLED FOR.
CHAP IV. 1776.
" We may outrun By violent swiftness that which we run at, And lose by overrunning." 1
If, however, it is admitted that the north was to blame, as well as the south, and if the officers from New England in some cases merited censure for their unmilitary conduct,2 it must also be admitted that the soldiers, as a body, were as active and as zealous as those from the other states.3 And if a parallel is drawn between the merits of the colonies, based upon the aggregate of their enlistments in the service, the palm must unquestionably be awarded to New England. For Massachusetts alone had ten thousand men in the field, while the whole army numbered less than forty thousand.4
In addition to the five thousand called for in June, - three thousand of whom were sent to the northern department, and July 3 two thousand to New York, - early in the following month to 9. several other regiments were ordered to New York, with a large number of light horse and several artillery companies ;
1 J. Adams, Corresp. in Works, ix. 460, says, "There is a narrow spirit, in many people, which seems to consider this contest as the affair of Boston and the Massachusetts, not the affair of the continent. All that they have to do is to get the charac- ter of heroes by their bravery, to wear genteel uniforms and armor, and to be thought to lay Boston and Massa- chusetts under vast obligations. For my own part, I think the obligations mutual ; but if there is a balance, it is clearly in favor of Massachusetts."
2 Comp. Reed's Reed, i. 240; Washington to his brother, Nov. 19, 1776, in Sparks's Washington, iv. 184; Marshall's Washington, ii. 473, 474; Thacher's Jour. 60, 61, 70; J. Adams's Corresp. in Works, ix. 434, 439, and note, in Works, iii. 87, 88.
3 " It is painful," wrote Washing- ton, in Jan. 1777, " for me to hear
such illiberal reflections upon the eastern troops as you say prevail in N -. I always have, and always shall say, that I do not believe any of the states produce better men. Equal injustice is done them in other re- spects ; for no people fly to arms more promptly, or come better equipped or with more regularity into the field." Bradford, ii. 128, note.
4 Heath, Mems. 51, under date of Aug. 8, 1776, says the whole army did not exceed 40,000, officers includ- ed, though rated in the newspapers at 70,000 strong; and Washington, in a letter of the same date, in Marshall, ii. 428, and Sparks's Washington, iv. 34, note, says that the number in New York was but 17,225 men, sick in- cluded, though afterwards augmented to 27,000. Comp. Lord Mahon's Hist. Eng. vi. 108.
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133
ENLISTMENTS FOR THE ARMY.
and two more regiments were ordered to Canada.1 To effect CHAP. the raising of these, the legislature was obliged to order a IV. levy of every twenty-fifth man in the state ; and, while the 1776. troops for the northern department were principally mustered from the counties at the west, and from Middlesex and Essex, those for New York were from the counties of Suffolk, Plym- outh, and Bristol.2 But even these requisitions, great as they were, tell not the whole story with reference to Massachu- setts ; for, early in the fall, Washington solicited, and Congress Sept. 3. requested, the enlistment of additional troops, and every fifth man was ordered by the legislature to march to the neighbor- Sep. 10. hood of New York.3 The towns on the sea coast were ex- empted in this order, as their services might possibly be needed at home; and the detachment, when raised, was placed under the command of Major Benjamin Lincoln, and marched to Fairfield, in Connecticut, with directions to report themselves at the head quarters of Washington.4 In the terms of their enlistment, it was stated that they were to serve in the New England States, or in New York and New Jersey ; and they were to remain in service for such time as the Court should determine, though assurance was given that they would prob- ably be discharged within three months.5 Indeed, scarcely a week elapsed in which there was not some call upon the civil authorities, who were constantly in session, for bodies of the militia to march to head quarters near New York, or to Lake Champlain, or to the neighborhood of Rhode Island ; and there were frequent alarms within the state, which rendered
1 Jour. H. of R. for July 3, 4, 5, ford, ii. 114, 115 ; Holland's Western and 9, 1776; Sparks's Washington, Mass. i. 215. iv. 42, 47 ; Thacher's Jour. 53; Lin- 3 Jour. Cont. Cong. ii. 322; Sparks's Washington, iv. 125, note ; Jour. H. of R. for 1776 ; Lincoln's Worcester, 116; Bradford, ii. 118. coln's Hist. Worcester, 114; Brad- ford, ii. 114. The two last were Whit- comb's and Phinney's regiments, and they set out early in August. Mar- 4 Sparks's Washington, iv. 125, and note, 126, 127, 129. shall's and Whitney's regiments were ordered to Canada July 4. Jour. H. Jour. H. of R. for Aug. 29, 1776 ; Bradford, ii. 119. of R. for July 4, 1776.
2 Jour. H. of R. for 1776; Brad-
134
SUFFERINGS OF THE PEOPLE.
CHAP. it expedient to increase the forces at Boston, or to station IV. companies along the sea coast.1
1776.
Hostilities had now continued for more than a year, and the consequences were beginning to be seriously felt. Many a father, who had a wife and little ones depending upon him for support, and whose means of subsistence were the products of his own toil, was compelled to leave his home and farm, and shoulder his musket to join the army. Thus the culture of the soil was neglected ; commerce was checked ; business was at a stand ; the country was largely drained of its specie ; the paper currency, substituted in its place, had so far depreciated in value that many were reluctant to receive it for debts, and it was difficult to procure with it the necessaries of life.2 Hence a financial gloom was rapidly settling down upon and overspreading the state, which became the more oppressive from the uncertainty of relief. Few had foreseen these evils ; nor was it easy to remove them while the energies of the peo- ple were principally absorbed in the struggle for their liber- ties. Many families in Massachusetts were in a suffering con- dition - deprived of their customary means of support, and obliged to depend upon the charity of others. Never was there a time when patriotism had been more tried, and when the call for self-sacrifice had been more imperative. And the demand was met with commendable promptitude. For not only did the General Congress resolve to sustain the currency, and protest against monopolies,3 but the legislature of the state
1 Jour. H. of R. for 1776; Sparks's Washington, iv. 227; Bradford, ii. 120.
2 Comp. Sparks's Washington, iv. 113; and, on the difficulties in Mas- sachusetts, see Bradford, ii. 120, 135, &c. In the winter of 1776-7, the in- habitants of Boston held a meeting to take into consideration the complaints of the poorer class respecting monop- olies, and the high prices of articles in common use.
3 The General Congress, on the 11th of Jan. 1776, and the 14th of Jan. 1777, passed resolves in favor of sustaining the currency of the coun- try, and condemning the conduct of those who obstructed or discouraged its circulation. Jour. Cont. Cong. ii. 22 ; iii. 16; Boston Gazette for March 10, 1777. In the fall of 1776, also, the General Court of Massachusetts appointed a committee to meet others from Connecticut, Rhode Island, and
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135
TREATMENT OF THE TORIES.
sought to devise measures for the public relief ; 1 and not only CHAP. did the towns cooperate with them in carrying out these meas- IV. 1776 ures,2 but private liberality was abundantly displayed, and those who had large means contributed of their affluence to those who had less.3 Such generous conduct is worthy of all praise ; nor should it be forgotten that, as the clouds gath- ered, and the storm in its fury swept over the land, the noble purpose which animated all so far outweighed inferior im- pulses as to prompt philanthropy to succor the needy, and Christian liberality to answer with cheerfulness the numerous calls upon its benevolent regards.
The treatment to which "tories," or "loyalists," should be subjected, was a point of considerable delicacy and difficulty. That most of those designated by these terms were sincere in their opinions, the candid of our day will doubtless con- cede ; for they proved their sincerity by submitting their persons to the severest indignities, and their property to confiscation.4 They were naturally regarded with suspi- cion and dislike ; for how could they sympathize with the
New Hampshire, at Providence, for the adoption of measures for the pub- lic relief ; but the presence of the British prevented the meeting, and a new one was appointed at Springfield in the spring, at which New York was also represented, and a plan was re- ported which afforded some relief. Trumbull MS. Letter Book B, 101, under date Feb. 20, 1777; Austin's Life of Gerry, i. 219-223, 264 ; Jour. H. of R. for 1776, 1777 ; Bradford, ii. 121; Holland's Western Mass. i. 1 Almon's Remembrancer, v. 57- 62; Bradford, ii. 121. In 1777, an act to " prevent monopoly and op- pression " was passed in Massachu- setts, and sanctioned by the towns ; and, in 1778 and 1779, regulating statutes were passed by the General Congress, and a plan was adopted and carried into effect by most of the east- ern states, which was approved by the legislature of Massachusetts, though
opposed by many of the citizens. Real Farmer, No. 4, in N. Y. Jour. ; Pem- berton's Jour. in 1 M. H. Coll. ii. 158; Bradford, ii. 172; Jour. H. of R. for 1778 and 1779.
2 See the published histories of the different towns. Provisions of this kind were made every year during the war, and were of great service to those who would have otherwise perished from absolute want.
3 Comp. Boston Gazette for March 10, 1777, where the liberality of the citizens of Roxbury is commended. Instances of such liberality were not uncommon; and though there were occasional examples of individual self- ishness, they were sternly rebuked.
4. The admirable work of Lorenzo Sabine, Esq., on the American loyal- ists, is worthy of being consulted by all who desire extended information relative to this class of persons.
136
TREATMENT OF THE TORIES.
CHAP. cause of their country ? and if not in its favor, they must IV. certainly be opposed. In such case, the question arose, Should 1776. they be left unmolested, would not their countenance be given to the enemy ? And would it be politic to allow them to act in this manner ? It is not surprising, in view of these facts, that stringent measures should have been advocated and adopted. A different result could hardly have been expected. And if these measures, in some cases, appear to have been too stringent, and the remedial process to have savored of revenge, it should be remembered that there were often circumstances which aggravated resentment, and that inexcusable instances of treachery were detected which demanded to be promptly and summarily checked.1
Jan. 2.
The General Congress, at a quite early date, feeling the importance of this subject, earnestly debated it; and, while they advised that the honest but misinformed should be treat- ed with lenity, " speedy and effectual measures " were recom- mended to be taken to "frustrate the mischievous machina- tions " of the "unworthy." 2 The course of Massachusetts was in accordance with these resolves ; and when a number of tories, who had fled to Halifax upon the evacuation of Boston, ventured to return, and threw themselves upon the mercy of the government, for the public security they were taken into custody, and most of them were imprisoned for
1 Vigilance was required in all parts of the state to frustrate the schemes of those whose loyalty went so far as to lead them to act against the patriot cause ; and self-protection sanctioned the exercise of such vigi- lance. Our sympathies may prompt us to deplore the misfortunes of those whose chief offence was their loyalty ; but this sympathy should not induce a forgetfulness of the fact that the patriots were equally honest, and that, as the Americans as a people had sol- emnly renounced their allegiance to the king, every resident of the coun- try was expected to coincide with, or,
at least, not to oppose them. " He that is not for us is against us," was their maxim ; and the conduct of all nations has confirmed its necessity. In the midst of the excitement inci- dent to a revolution, speculative dis- tinctions have very little power over the mind. Men act promptly, and take such measures as seem to be war- ranted at the time, without stopping to investigate individual or exception- al cases.
2 Jour. Cont. Cong. ii. 6, 7. See also ibid. ii. 88; and comp. Galloway's Examination, Lond. 1779, p. 6, note.
137
TREATMENT OF THE TORIES.
several months. Their conduct was likewise jealously watched, CHAP. and it was some time before confidence was fully restored.1 IV.
1777 and 1778.
It was at a later date, however, that the greatest disturb- ances prevailed, and all who persisted in abetting the royal- ists were treated with a severity proportioned to their of- fence. In some cases, they were seized by a company of armed men, and conducted to the "liberty pole," with which every town was graced, under which they were compelled to recant, and give bonds for their future good conduct.2 In others, they were ingloriously tipped from the cart's tail, and commanded forthwith to depart from the neighborhood.3 In others, they were treated to a substantial coat of tar and feathers.4 The more obstinate were imprisoned ; and those who refused on any terms to yield were published in the papers as enemies to the country.5 Of all crimes, that of aiding the enemies of America was viewed with the greatest abhorrence ; and those who were guilty were sternly rebuked, and held up as objects of merited censure.6
As the condition of the army was exceedingly discouraging, and the necessity for recruiting it had been pressed upon Con- gress, the provisions for the ensuing campaign, thanks to the energy of General Washington, were made on a larger scale than ever before-eighty-eight regiments, or seventy thousand men, being ordered to be raised for three years, or during the war.7 The quota of Massachusetts was fifteen battalions ;
1776. Sep. 16.
1 Bradford, ii. 105.
2 Thacher's Jour. 21.
" Tar yet in embryo, in pine, Shall run on tories' backs to shine ; Trees, rooted fair in groves of fallows, Are growing for our future gallows; And geese unhatched, when plucked in fray, Shall rue the feathering of that day." TRUMBULL'S M' Fingal.
3 Boston Gazette for Apr. 21, 1777 ; Barry's Hist. Hanover, 113.
4 Thacher's Jour. 21.
5 Thacher's Jour. 21.
6 In May, 1777, an act of the Gen- eral Court was passed relative to the
tories. In September, 1778, also, an act was passed to prevent the return of certain refugees ; and in April and September, 1779, acts of confiscation were passed. Jour. H. of R. for 1778 and 1779; Boston Gazette for May 19, 1777; Bradford, ii. 171; Brooks's Medford, 171, 172.
7 Jour. Cont. Cong. ii. 336 ; Pem- berton's Jour. in 1 M. H. Coll. ii. 78; Jour. Mass. H. of R. for Oct. 9, 1776 ; Galloway's Examination, Lond. 1779, p. 19; Stedman's Am. War, i. 228; Marshall's Washington, ii. 457;
138
A NEW ARMY RAISED.
CHAP. and, soon after, a requisition was made for three more regi- IV. ments and a battalion of artillery - making, in all, about 1776. thirteen thousand men, or more than one sixth of the whole establishment.1 To facilitate this arrangement, and to pro- Oct. 15. mote its effectiveness, a committee was appointed to visit Gen- eral Washington, and, if necessary, to proceed to Philadelphia, to consult with Congress upon the subject of bounty and wages for the soldiers.2 The difficulty of enlisting men had been every where felt, and in few of the states was a similar course pursued.3 Hence, when the committee waited upon
Works of J. Adams, iii. 82-84; Heath's Mems. 115 ; Thacher's Jour. 61; Bradford, ii. 122. The propor- tions of the different states were as follows : -
New Hampshire, . 3 battalions.
Massachusetts Bay, 15
Rhode Island,
2
Connecticut, .
8
66
New York,
4
New Jersey,
4
Pennsylvania, 12
Delaware,
1
66
Maryland,
8
Virginia,
15 66
North Carolina, .
9
South Carolina,
6
66 Georgia, 1
"The articles of war," says J. Ad- ams, " and the institution of the army during the war, were all my work."
1 In addition to these 88 battal- ions, 16 more were ordered to be raised, and 6 "out of the continent at large,"-in all, 110, - with 3000 horse, 3 regiments of artillery, and a company of engineers. Of these ad- ditional battalions, three were to be raised by Massachusetts, which were known as Jackson's, Lee's, and Hen- ley's regiments ; and the battalion of artillery from Massachusetts was known as Armand's legion. Heath's Mems. 116; J. Adams's Corresp. in Works, ix. 450 ; Jour. H. of R. for 1776, &c.
2 On the 20th of September, Con- gress appointed a committee of three - Roger Sherman, Elbridge Gerry,
and - Lewis - to visit head quar- ters at New York, to inquire into the state of the army ; and their report was made October 3, debated for sev- eral days, and adopted on the 8th. Jour. Cont. Cong. ii. 359, 373, 379 ; Austin's Life of Gerry, i. 214, 215. The General Court of Massachusetts appointed their committees to visit the camps at New York and Ticonde- roga on the 15th of October. Jour. H. of R. for 1776, 120, 122, 131.
3 Galloway, Examination before the House of Commons, Lond. 1779, 19, 20, asserts that Congress actually raised in 1777 only 16,000 men, " not because the Congress had altered their resolution, but because the men were not to be had. They made every ex- ertion, as usual; but they had lost in the Canada expedition, at Boston, where they were extremely sickly, killed in battle in the several engage- ments with the British troops, taken prisoners, and by deaths in the mili- tary hospitals southward of New York, I think I may safely say, upon good inquiry, nearly 40,000 men. The peo- ple, also, at that time, were more averse to the measures of Congress than the year before." On p. 16, he also says, " I had very good opportu- nities of knowing the state of the middle colonies, in which I include New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, the Delaware counties, and Virginia. Gentlemen of fortune and integrity, on whom I should rely, came to me at Philadelphia, from
139
1
BOARD OF WAR APPOINTED.
Washington, and inquired whether an enlistment for one year CHAP. would not suffice, he replied, with warmth, "Good God! gen- IV. tlemen, our cause is ruined if you engage men for only a 1776. year. You must not think of it. If we hope for success, we must have men enlisted for the whole term of the war."1 He had already suffered from the want of regular troops, and was determined, if possible, to prevent the recurrence of this evil in the future.
The appointment of a board of war was another important Oct. 24. movement ; and this board was authorized to provide military stores and firearms for the use of the soldiers stationed in the state, as well as for those who were ordered abroad.2 Several further detachments of the militia were likewise called for before the year closed, to strengthen the army at the north Nov. and Dec. and in New York, and to assist in protecting the state of Rhode Island, which was attacked by a party of British, six thousand strong, in a fleet from New York.3 To induce those
Norfolk, in Virginia, Williamsburg, Fredericksburg, the distant county of Botetourt, Fort Pitt, and from the intermediate parts of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and the Delaware counties, from whom I made it my particular business to learn the state of the disposition of the people of those colonies, as well at that time as in the year 1776, when Sir William Howe was at Trenton. And I was informed by all of them that the pan- ic extended through all those parts, and at that time very few indeed en- tertained hopes of supporting the in- dependence." The reader must ob- serve that these are not the state- ments of a friend of America, but of one who was a loyalist at heart, and allowance must be made accordingly.
1 Bradford, ii. 123; Winsor's Dux- bury, 136. According to the latter, Mr. Partridge, of Duxbury, was one of the committee from Massachusetts; and it was to him that the exclama- tion in the text was made.
2 Jour. H. of R. for Oct. 23 and
24, 1776; Heath's Mems. 116; Bradford, ii. 124. This board was found so serviceable that it was re- newed annually for several years. The members for the year 1776-7 were James Bowdoin, George Whit- comb, Joseph Palmer, Henry Brom- field, Samuel P. Savage, James Pres- cott, Samuel A. Otis, Jonathan Jack- son, and Jonathan Glover. Jour. H. of R. for Oct. 30, 1776.
3 Sir William Howe to Lord G. Germaine, Nov. 30 and Dec. 20, 1776 ; Lord George Germaine to Sir William Howe, Jan. 14 and March 3, 1777 ; Sparks's Washington, iv. 161, 240 ; Bradford, ii. 125, 126, 128. The British troops were commanded by General Clinton, Lord Percy, Major General Prescott, and others; and the militia from Connecticut and Mas- sachusetts, raised to oppose them, were placed under the command of Major General Lincoln, who had been sent on some time before to reënforce the continental army at New York.
140
ENLISTMENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS.
CHAP. who had enlisted from Massachusetts, and whose term of ser- IV. vice would soon expire, to remain for a longer time, commit- 1776. tees were sent to New York and Canada ; but only a few could be persuaded to remain, and many returned as soon as the period of their enlistment was closed.1
Dec.
The departure of such numbers of the troops from Massa- chusetts awakened apprehensions for the safety of its own borders ; and, as Boston was left comparatively defenceless, and a rumor was in circulation that the enemy designed to avail themselves of this opportunity to march through the country to its attack, the two regiments stationed in the capi- tal and in the harbor were engaged to continue in the service for a short time longer, and two additional regiments were ordered to be raised. All these different establishments amounted to more than one half of the militia of the neigh- borhood, besides a large number from other counties in the state.2
The troops for the main army came in slowly ; and the General Court, to hasten their enlistment, proposed to offer an additional bounty ; but Congress discouraged the plan, as it would render it necessary for the other states to adopt a similar course, and some of them, it was believed, would not consent. Congress, indeed, offered a bounty of twenty dol- lars and a tract of land to each soldier enlisting ; but as the latter was a distant good, and not valued as it should have been, it produced little effect.3 Massachusetts, accordingly, assumed the responsibility of offering, in addition to the boun- ty of Congress, the sum of twenty pounds, to be paid in two equal instalments, and provided that the depreciation of paper received in payment of their wages should be made up by the
1777.
Mar. 22, &c.
1 Sparks's Washington, iv. 172, 253; Bradford, ii. 125.
2 Gen. James Warren to E. Gerry, Jan. 15, 1777, in Austin's Life of Ger- ry, i. 255 ; Bradford, ii. 125, 128.
Jour. Cont. Cong. ii. 336; Jour. Mass. H. of R. for Oct. 21, 1776 ; Stedman's Am. War, i. 228; Almon's Remembrancer, iv. 239; Thacher's Jour. 61.
141
ORGANIZATION OF THE REGIMENTS.
state, and in many cases furnished the men with clothing at CHAP. a fixed price, which prevented the loss that would have been IV. otherwise suffered, had their whole compensation been received 1776. in continental bills.1
In pursuance of this arrangement, four regiments were or- ganized, early in the new year, and, by the advice of Washing- 1777. Jan. ton, ordered to the northward, where the movements of the British indicated an intention of renewing the war, and where the American army had been reduced so low as to be scarcely adequate to the defence of Ticonderoga.2 The remaining regiments were filled with greater difficulty ; nor were they completed until the following summer, although the people May and June. were urged to enlist by all the considerations which could operate with free and patriotic citizens.3 The addresses of the General Court were fervid and earnest. "We entreat you," Jan. 26, was their language, "for the sake of that religion, for the en- &c. joyment whereof your ancestors fled to this country, for the sake of your laws and future felicity, to act vigorously and firmly in this critical situation of your country ; and we doubt not but that your noble exertions, under the smiles of Heaven, will insure you that success and freedom due to the wise man and the patriot." 4 The officers of the militia and the select-
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