USA > Massachusetts > The story of western Massachusetts, Volume I > Part 34
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On the evening of April 18, 1775, the members of a committee in Boston, of which Paul Revere was one, who had been watching the movements of the British, observed considerable activity in the
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British camp. Dr. Joseph Warren, one of the Committee of Safety, summoned Revere about ten in the evening and asked him to go to Lexington to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock, another of the Committee of Safety, that the British were on the march and that it was believed that they were the objects of the movement. Revere crossed the Charles River by boat and secured a horse for his purpose. Waiting only for the prearranged lantern signals from the belfry of the North Church in Boston, he rode away to "spread the alarm through every Middlesex village and farm, for the country folk to be up and to arm".
"You know the rest. In the books you have read, how the British regulars fired and fled, how the farmers gave them ball for ball, from behind each fence and farmyard wall, chasing the redcoats down the lane, then crossing the fields to emerge again, under the trees at the turn of the road, only pausing to fire and load".
While the Battle of Lexington was in its early stages, Joseph Palmer and his associates conferred at nearby Watertown, to discuss the situation in view of their duties and undertakings. Shortly before ten o'clock that morning, a terse account was drafted, reciting the salient facts, which was handed to a veteran post-rider, Israel Bissell of East Windsor, Connecticut, with instructions to proceed to Worces- ter with all dispatch and after delivering it to Nathan Balding, town clerk, to comply with such instructions as he might receive.
At Worcester, copies were made of the original message and entrusted to couriers proceeding to towns lying northward. Bissell rode away to the south with his original and continued the proceed- ings at Norwich, Connecticut. The alarm reached New York at four, on the afternoon of Sunday, April twenty-third. From New York to Philadelphia the express rode all night, calling at Brunswick, April twenty-fourth at two o'clock in the morning, Princeton at six, and Trenton at nine, reaching Philadelphia at five, the afternoon of April 24th. By similar stages the message was delivered through Virginia and the Carolinas.
In the meantime another rider, with another duplicate message, was enroute from Worcester to Brookfield, where Jedidiah Foster took over. From there, riders were dispatched to Belchertown, Am- herst, Hadley and Northampton, whence the news was relayed to the upper valley towns,-to Pittsfield and to northern Berkshire. Another courier went west and galloped into Springfield in the early morning hours bearing the document addressed "to all friends of American liberty". The bell of the old First Church rang out wildly. Rev. Stephen Williams, pastor of the church of the third precinct at Long- meadow, noted in his diary,-"This morning as soon as it was light, the drum beat and three guns were fired as an alarm. The story is that some of the troops had marched from Boston to seize some mili- tary stores at Lexington or Concord and some men had been killed, but the accounts are vague,-we must wait. . The minute-men are
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gone to town and men are collecting from various parts and we have reason to fear that much mischief is done".
The following day, April 21st, he added that "this morning at four o'clock another message is come advising that there has been a smart engagement at Concord between the regulars and our people and many killed, but we have but uncertain accounts. 'Tis said houses are burnt and men and women killed. More men are collecting and
Musterfield House, Clarksburg
going forth. I prayed with a company. The Lord be pleased to go with them and prosper them, keep them in fear. This day we met together for prayer in the meeting house".
The townsfolk gathered at the Court House on Main Street, where Sanford Street now is, and this message was read to them,-
"Watertown, Wednesday morning, near 10 o'clock. To all friends of American liberty,-
Be it known that this morning before break of day, a brigade con- sisting of about 1,000 or 1,200 men landed at Phipps farm at Cam- bridge and marched to Lexington where they found a company of our colony militia in arms, upon whom they fired without any provo- cation and killed six men and wounded four others. By an express this moment we find another brigade are now upon the march from
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Boston, supposed to be about 1,000. The bearer, Mr. Israel Bissell, is charged to alarm the country quite to Connecticut and all persons are desired to furnish him with fresh horses as they may be needed. I have spoken with several persons who have seen the dead and wounded.
Joseph Palmer One of the Committee of Safety."
Time was precious,-paper was scarce. Turning over the docu- ment, on the back was recorded the names of sixty-two Springfield men eager for action. Half a pound of powder was issued to each. One hundred and eighty musket flints were brought out for those who needed them, of which thirty-two were returned to the town stock.
The actual document, delivered by the courier on that fateful day, bearing the names of those sixty-two heroes is now in the office of the City Clerk in Springfield City Hall. After all these years the writing is so legible that all but one of the names can be readily read. They are as follows,-
Jacob Colton, Jr.
Ebenezer Colton
Moses Harris
Samuel Keep,
Calvin Bliss.
Oliver Field,
Ebenezer Rumney, James Taylor
Illegible-
Spencer Myrick
Caleb Cooley, Jr.
Thomas Hale,
Oliver Burt,
Jonah Cooley
Israel Chapin
Abner Cooley
John Stedmant,
James Nash,
Phineas Stedmant, Jr.
Gad Horton,
Samll. Edson,
Joseph King, Zadock Bliss Henry Stiles, Silvanus Hale, Jacob Chapin,
Jacob Kellogg,
Alexander Bliss,
Patrick Neugent,
Phineas Chapin
George Wright, Peter Colton, Abiathar Stevenson.
Joseph Chapin, Jr.
Philip Smith,
Eleazer Chapin, Jr.
Joseph Kellogg, Jr. Squire Aaron Steel, Gad Bliss, Abner Russell,
Walter Pynchon,
William White,
Matthias Lanckton.
Jabez Snow, Arthur Hitchcock,
Jeduthan Sanderson, Able Hancock, Jr. Aaron Ferre,
Solomon Brewer
Luther Hitchcock,
Samll Bliss
Abijah Edson.
Justin Smith,
Robert Stevens,
Jonathan Ingersoll,
Samuel Gridley.
W. Mass .- I-22
Asahel Cooley, Medad Stebbins,
John Burt, Jr.
Benjamin Parsons
Solomon Chapin,
Arthur Granger
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These were the men who went out from Springfield on that April day, some to eight years of war and others never to return.
This roster should be of especial interest to genealogists, for six of these names are of men who had no other service record in the war. They may have been enthusiastic youths who joined in this expedition, only to meet with parental objections on later occasions. These six were,-
Ebenezer Rumney.
Phineas Stedman.
Solomon Chapin.
Philip Smith. Arthur Granger. Jabez Snow.
Number twenty-six on this list is Jeduthan Sanderson, son of Medad Sanderson. After the war Jeduthan returned to Springfield, where he was married and had a son Harvey, a Springfield business man well known to many still living in the city. Following the Lexington affair, Jeduthan, then twenty-one years old, joined the Continental Army and was in the Battle of Bunker Hill, two months later. Following his Bunker Hill experience, Jeduthan wrote to his father of the situation.
Roxbury, June 29th, 1775.
Honored Father,-
After my regards to you I take this opportunity to let you know that I am well, as I hope these lines will find you and all my brothers and sisters. I have some news to write. In the first place there was a skirmish between Charlestown and Cambridge and the King's troops drove our men out of our intrenchment because they had no powder and they have intrenched on Bunker's Hill and our men have in- trenched on Winter Hill where the regulars retreated to when the first battle was at Concord, which was June 16. They fired the same day at Roxbury and threw bombs and carcasses in order to set the street on fire, but by the goodness of God they did not, for our men, as soon as they had set it afire, would go up and put it out, and they fired no more until last Saturday. Then they fired again and tried to set it on fire but they would go and put it out. One of our men took one of the carcasses and brought it up to the General, before it went out. And they set two or three houses afire. But they were as fierce as a bloodhound to put them out. Then the Rhode Islanders went down on the Neck with two or three field pieces and fired at them and made their sentries run to the breast-work. And then they fired upon our sentries and killed two of them. We are building a fort in Roxbury and digging a trench across the Neck. No more at present, so I remain your obedient son,
Juduthan Sanderson.
Harvey Sanderson, grandson of the writer of that letter, cher- ished the epistle until his death in Springfield in 1889, at the age of ninety-one.
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At the time of the Revolution, the church of the third precinct, of Springfield, now Longmeadow, was in charge of the Rev. Stephen Williams, born at Deerfield in 1693. At the age of nine he was taken captive by the Indians and carried to Canada, but was redeemed eighteen months later. Graduating from Harvard in 1713, he went to Longmeadow the following year and remained with that church until his death in 1782, in his ninetieth year. He served as army chaplain in three campaigns; at Cape Breton in 1745, at Lake George in 1755 and again in 1756. He was with his kinsman Ephraim Williams, founder of Williams College, when the latter was killed at Lake George in 1755.
When the Revolution broke out, Pastor Williams was eighty-two; too old a man to adapt himself to new ideas. He had experienced the cruelties and miseries of war and dreaded the effect on his flock. All his life he had been loyal to the king and it was hard for him to leave off voicing prayers in his behalf, as the rabble bade him.
On April 28th he noted in his diary that "George Cooley who went with a wagon and provisions is returned. He says that our men who went from here are stopped at Waltham". At that time the poor, bewildered dominie began to "perceive that the people are out of humor with me for things I have said and done". On May 11th was a public fast, and the occasion was taken advantage of to bring in the Rev. Mr. Trotter of the Stafford church for a pep talk. "He appears a bold and daring man, was very popular and doubtless greatly pleased our warm people. Some of his notions I could not join in with. I myself shamefully fell on sleep in the time of the fore- noon sermon. I perceived a coldness among my own people towards me because they apprehended I don't think with them as to present times and measures. I heartily desire their welfare and happiness. My conscience is void of offense".
On June 20, 1775, he related that the town was depressed by "a sorrowful account from our troops,-that there had been an engagment between them and the regulars at Bunker's Hill in Charlestown, and considerable numbers slain on both sides. Our people were driven out of their intrenchments and the town of Charlestown was burnt down by the king's troops. We hear of no particular persons being killed but Dr. Warren who was president of the Provincial Congress. My wife's son, Nathaniel Burt is returned home. He was not far from Bunker's Hill where the fight was and saw the fire at Charlestown and heard the hurras and shouting among the troops".
In time the radical elements of the town became more restive and arrogant, transferring their animus from the saintly pastor to others whom they considered lukewarm in the patriot cause. In Williams' diary we read, that on "July 24, 1776, a number of people gathered together, some dressed like Indians with blankets and manifested uneasiness with those that trade in molasses, sugar, etc. A number went to merchant Samuel Colton's and have again taken away his
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goods. Many don't approve of it, but have not resolution enough to interpose and endeavor redress".
In a petition of Samuel Colton's he said that "a great number of persons, blacked and in disguise assembled together at a late hour of the night at your memoralists house, he and his family being then within and retired to rest. Upon which he begs leave to observe that pure, honest patriotism does not need any disguise. Neither does it seek the darkness of the night for a covering. These are rather the marks of spoilers and robbers and no doubt their number and disguise was designed to terrify and intimidate your memoralist. Being thus assembled, they forcibly took and carried away a large quantity of his goods, to the amount of about two or three hundred pounds hard money. It is true that your memoralist obtained and got back a part of these goods again into his possession. But not many days after, the same persons assembled again in the night, forcibly broke open his store locks and took and carried away the whole of his rum and salt, ransacking and searching his house from top to bottom, plun- dering and carrying away what they saw fit".
On August 11, 1776, in the Springfield churches there was "read publicly, being required by the Provincial Congress, the Declaration of the Continental Congress for Independence".
Ten days later, Joseph Bumstead, a trusted servant in the Wil- liams home, together with the pastor's grandchild Stephen, were off to the wars. The day before their departure, the grandfather had penned words of advice to the youngster that he gave to him on his leaving home.
"Longmeadow, August 20, 1776.
My dear Grandchild,-
As you are going abroad and may be exposed to difficulties, dangers and sickness and possibly to the sword of the enemy, as also you may be in danger; great danger of sin, I give you these directions. 1st,-Take care of your health, don't unnecessarily expose yourself to heat and cold : be careful as to your diet and don't be too free with fruits that are like to chill your stomach and expose yourself to dysentery and diseases common to the fall of the year.
2nd,-Obey the orders of your officers. Don't expose yourself to military punishment by disregarding the orders of your superiors. Be kind to your companions and fellow soldiers.
3d,-Avoid temptations to sin, to all manner of sin. Don't accustom yourself to drinking; to sit with those that meet together to drink. Don't take God's name in vain. Carefully avoid gaming; playing at cards and dice. Those persons that do so generally fall into much sin. 4th,-Fear God and keep His commandments.
5th,-Attend upon the public worship of God when you can.
6th,-Pray to God in secret.
7th,-Read the scriptures daily.
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Sth,-Avoid quarelling and contention. Get some acquaintance with my relations in Roxbury and let them know who you are. Behave with decency and modesty and so as to credit religion and adorn the doctrine of God, our saviour. The Lord be with you and keep you in his fear. Hear, oh my grandson, and receive my saying, that the years of thy life may be many. If the Lord please, I hope I may yet see you in the land of the living. The Lord prepare you for what his pleasure may be as to that.
I am your loving grandfather,
Stephen Williams."
The old gentleman closed his journal for that year with these words,-"The last day of the year. It has been one of the most remarkable in the history of America. The people, by their Congress have declared independency, and the King's troops and fleets are come against us".
CHAPTER XXXIV Burgoyne's Army in Massachusetts
I N JULY, 1777, a British Army under the command of General John Burgoyne, left Canada with the intention of securing control of the Hudson River, thereby separating New England from the Middle and Southern States. The army comprised seven battalions of British infantry, an artillery section and a mixed force of hired German troops, collectively called Hessians. The latter were a few Hessian rifles (regiment of Hesse-Hanau), a corps of dismounted dragoons and a mixed force of Brunswickers. The artillery was composed of five hundred and eleven rank and file, including one hundred Germans. The army was divided into three brigades under Major General Phillips, Brigadier General Fraser and Brigadier General Hamilton. The Germans were distributed amongst the three brigades, with one reserve corps under Colonel Breymann, and were immediately com- manded by Major General Riedesel. Bringing up the rear was a motley collection of women and children. The expedition was expected to be little less than a triumphal parade and many of the officers arranged for their wives to take part in the affair, hence Madam Riedesel accompanied the army, riding in a Canadian calash with her two children. The wives and progeny of many of the enlisted men trudged along with baskets on their backs, in which were pots and pans and other equipment with which they prepared the meals of their men folk, while on the march.
With these eight thousand troops, Burgoyne anticipated an easy march to Albany, there to meet St. Leger descending the Mohawk and Howe ascending the Hudson, and by their combined efforts breaking up the Revolution.
But the fate of the army lay with Lord George Germain. After writing the orders for Howe to cooperate with Burgoyne, he left them to be copied and went to Kent on a visit. Consequently they were delayed and did not reach Howe until August sixteenth, after he had left New York on his expedition to the Chesapeake, when it was too late to effect a junction with the army from Canada. St. Leger's force came to a disastrous end and Burgoyne's force was sadly weakened by a sortie on Bennington. Thus the entire north- ern army of the Americans was left free to oppose the Canadian army and Burgoyne was forced to surrender at Saratoga on October 17, 1777.
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By the terms of the surrender, the captured troops were to be marched to Boston by the easiest route, where they were to be given passage to England, on their promise not to serve again in America during the war.
General John Glover of Marblehead was delegated to escort the prisoners to Boston. As he must draw on the inhabitants along the line of march for subsistence, he divided them into two divisions, sending the British by way of Williamstown and Northampton and the Germans by Kinderhook and Springfield, each with a competent guard of militia. Each division had its own commissaries, quarter- masters and wagonmasters with instructions to take bills for what supplies they received from the people and give orders on General Glover for payment. The number of prisoners, wagon-drivers, horse- men and guards aggregated at least six thousand. Glover, doubting the possibility of securing on the march sufficient provisions for so large a number, collected at Albany as large a supply as possible and wrote to Jeremiah Powell at Boston, to have an additional supply meet them at Worcester.
The march across Massachusetts was a march through an enemy's country. The use of German mercenaries, or Hessians, had awakened the direst hatred against the whole army, and to this day the epithet, "mean little Hessian", leaves no doubt as to its meaning. As late as fifty years ago, mothers deterred their ill-behaved youngsters with the warning that the Hessians would get them if they did not mend their ways. The natives complained that the prisoners burned their fences, destroyed hay, grain and flax and stole furniture and clothing from their houses. Though the weather was cold and stormy, in many places they were refused shelter in either houses or barns.
Many letters and journals of officers and men of that day have been preserved, from which a great part of the following account is taken, though only when an undeleted sentence or paragraph is used, do quotation marks appear. One officer wrote,-
"The women of all this district, as far as Boston and New York are slender and straight, and are plump, without being stout. They have pretty little feet, good strong hands and arms, a very white skin and a healthy color in their faces, without having to paint. Hardly any of those I have seen are pitted with small pox, but then, inoculation has been common here for many years. Their teeth are very white, their lips beautiful, and their eyes laughing and lively. Moreover, they have a natural, unconstrained manner, a free and cheerful countenance, a natural assurance. They care much for cleanliness and for being well shod. They dress very becomingly, but all their clothes must fit them very closely. They curl their hair every day, make it up behind in a chignon, and in front over a cushion of moderate height. They generally go out bareheaded and at most set a little heart-shaped thing or some trifle on their heads. Here and there, a country nymph lets her hair fly and braids it with a rib- bon. However poor may be the hut in which they live, they put on -
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a silken mantle and gloves when they go out. They know how to wrap themselves in a mantle very prettily, so that a little white elbow peeps out. Then they put on some kind of well-made shade hat, from under which they peep coquettishly with their roguish eyes. In the English colonies the fair ones have taken a fancy to mantles of red silk or wool. Dressed in this way a girl runs, jumps and dances about, wishes you a pleasant good-day, or gives, according to the
Reuben Bliss Salt-Box House on South Main Street, Springfield
question, a saucy answer. So they stood by dozens, all along our road, passed us in review, laughed mockingly at us, or from time to time dropped us a mischievous courtsey and handed us an apple. We thought at first they were girls from the towns, or at least from class number two, standing by the roadside; but lo and behold, they were the daughters of poor peasants, whom you could recognize as poor peasants by their clothing".
General Whipple was in immediate command of the British con- tingent, and the force, consisting of 2,442 troops, left Saratoga at noon on October 19, marching as far as Tull's Mills. On the next day, five miles were covered and a halt was made at Old Hoosick to give . them time for the baggage and sick to catch up. On the morning of
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the 21st it was very snowy and wet, but the march was resumed in the afternoon and another five miles covered. Next day, Hoosick and Pownal were passed and a halt was made at Williamstown.
They were two days in crossing the Green Mountains, the roads being almost impassable. After a heavy snow commenced, the con- fusion was great, carts breaking down, some sticking fast, others overturning, horses falling with their loads of baggage, men cursing, women shrieking and children squalling. At Williamstown they first learned the value of British gold, and the farther they proceeded the greater its value appeared; the inhabitants inquiring if the prisoners needed any paper money and outbidding each other. Here they exchanged a guinea for twenty paper dollars, but later received much more. Two of the prisoners deserted there and became lifelong residents.
At Williamstown the forces were again divided, a small part under the escort of General James Brickett going to East Hoosick and over the mountain, continuing down the Deerfield Valley, through Charlemont, Shelburne, Greenfield, Bernardston and across the Con- necticut River to Northfield. After a brief stop at Northfield they recrossed the Connecticut and followed the river down through Deer- field and Hatfield, crossed the river at Hadley and encamped for one night on "Aqua Vita", the lower part of the meadows on the north side of Hadley Street.
General Brickett was much liked by the prisoners and often rode beside the officers, conversing with them. One day he was jogging along with one named Sone who complained that he was uncomfortable walking in such weather for want of a pair of boots, whereupon the General replied that he would sell those he had on. Sone offered him a guinea and he immediately dismounted, took a pair of shoes from his saddle bags and pulled off his boots, which he exchanged for the gold.
The main body of the British, under General Whipple, left Wil- liamstown on the 23rd and stopped at New Ashford for the night. A gold spoon recently dug up there, is supposed to have been the property of one of the officers. The noon of the following day was spent at Lanesboro and the night at Pittsfield. Tradition says that one of the officers concealed his money in a brick oven at Lanesboro, but some one took out the rear end of the oven and stole the money. C. J. Palmer of that town long cherished a coin dated 1729 which was dug up on the field where the soldiers encamped. The Rev. Thomas Allen of Pittsfield, noted in his diary, "2,500 of Burgoyne's army marched to Boston by way of Pittsfield".
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