USA > Maryland > Talbot County > History of Talbot county, Maryland, 1661-1861, Volume II > Part 15
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Mr. James Lloyd Chamberlaine, to whom the salt belonged which was removed by the party headed by Mr. Colston, was the son of Saml.
133
,
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HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
Chamberlaine, Esq., of "Bonfield," who was the son of the Hon. Saml. Chamberlaine, of "Plaindealing," the first of the name in Maryland. Mr. James Ll. Chamberlaine at the date of this occurrence resided at "Peach Blossom," an estate into the possession of which he came by marriage with a Miss Robins, a great heiress. He differed with his worthy father in political sentiment during the Revolution; espousing the cause of the Colonies. He was made a Brig. Gen. of the Maryland militia, and took an active part in the conduct of civil affairs during the great conflict. Though not a merchant, he made commercial adven- tures, and this may account for the possession of salt. Thomas Cham- berlaine, then the owner of "Plain-Dealing," and a minor, was the son of a gentleman of the same name, and in after life a merchant, as was his father before him.
We are in entire ignorance of the sequel of this affair. It is probable Mr. Chamberlaine was fully compensated for his salt, and that Mr. Colston with his party were exonerated from blame on the plea that what he had done was done under pressure of extreme necessity.
The papers appended are sufficiently explicit without further explana- tion. It is proper to say, the writer is indebted to the courtesy and kindness of Mr. James Lloyd Chamberlaine, of Baltimore, son of James Lloyd Chamberlaine of "Bonfield," but not a descendant of Gen. James Lloyd Chamberlaine of Revolutionary memory, for a copy of the origi- nal documents now in the vaults of the Md. Hist. Society, and this copy is used by the printer, without change, literal or verbal:
James Laroy of Caroline county confesseth that on Friday evening last one John Bush came to the House of John Cooper and got a horse from Cooper as he was informed and that Bush asked Cooper if he would send after salt, and that Cooper agreed to send, and asked him if he would go and that he agreed to go, that about three hours after moon up a company collected and called for him (Laroy) upon which he joined them, that there were in the company Jere Colson, James Dwiggons, Solomon Engle, James Smith, son of Michael, Thomas Curtis, Nathan Wheatly, David Morgin, Thomas Cooper, Aaron Cooper, Levin Mar- tingale, Samuel Martingale, John Cheesely, Daniel Bayner, James Hix son of James, John Bush, and John Russum all of the county afore- said-That Colson, Dwiggons, James Smith, Samuel Martingale, Nathan Wheatly, James Hicks and Aaron Cooper had guns. That Colson as he understood was the first proposer of the scheme and had the command of the company, that in a little time after he joined the company they marched down and when opposite Mrs. Nicols's in Tal- bot county, they turned out of the road and marched through the woods by a path that leads to another road, and then proceeded down
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AN INCIDENT OF THE REVOLUTION
to where Mr. Milward lives, when several of the company went up to the House, but he stayed [a some while with his men or crew] and then also went up to the House, when he heard Colson ask Mr. Mil- ward if there was any salt there for sale, to which Mr. Milward answered that the salt that was there was not his, nor had orders to sell any- that Colson then asked who kept the key of the House and Mr. Milward answered that it was kept by his wife upon which several of the com- pany walked into the dwelling House, but as he did not go in knows not what conversation happened there, that in a little time after they went into the House he observed them coming out and Mrs. Milward with them with the key in her hand and they with Mrs. Milward went to the House where the Salt was stored and Mrs. Milward agreed to open the door when the people (or at least) most of them went into the House and got as he thinks 17 Bushels of Salt-that the Salt was measured by a negro man belonging to the plantation as he understood- that he paid to Colson 15 shillings for a Bushel of the salt, and believes the rest of the Co. paid him at the same rate for the salt they got-that they returned home by the way that they came out, and that none of the Guns were charged but one, and that one, was ordered by Colson to be drawn whilst they were marching thro' the wood from Mrs. Nicols' and further sayeth not.
This Confession was made before me the subscriber on this 30th day of Dec. 1776. WILLIAM HAYWARD.
William Milward of Talbot county being duly sworn deposeth and saith that-
He went to live at plain dealing in the Spring of the year 1774 and his wife was employed to take charge of the house, as housekeeper, at the time there was a quantity of salt in a house the key of which was deliv- ered into his wife's care he saw the salt himself and supposes that it might be less than one hundred Bus. and the whole family were sup- plyed with salt from that heap and he believes they consumed about twelve Bus. per annum.
Wm. Milward the deponent further saith that in January in the year 1775 he did receive five hundred and fourteen Bush. of salt from Mr. James Ll. Chamberlaine and put it into the house above mentioned at plaindealing and that between the month of October and Christmas of the same year he the deponent did measure and sell all the salt out of the afores'd house which he received, as before mentioned at three shillings per Bush. And that at the time while that salt was measuring and selling James Ll. Chamberlaine afores'd did caution the deponent not to mix the new received salt which was his with the old salt that was before in the house as that did not belong to him but to Tommy Chamberlaine minor.
And the deponent further saith that the family at plaindealing used out of the aforesaid salt nearly at the rate of twelve Bush. per Annum untill the 28th day of December in the year 1776 when a number of men armed with guns and clubs came about eight o'clock in the morn-
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HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
ing and enquired for him the deponent who immediately went out to them and enquiring their business, was told by one of them who appeared to be their leader that they heard there was a quantity of salt there that their business was to buy some of it for which they would pay-The deponent told them that he had very little salt that the salt which was there was for the use of the family and not at his disposal nor even under his care he advised them to speak to Mr. Chamberlaine which when they objected to he offered to send to him. Chamberlaine himself to which they answered that they would not wait so long, they some of them swore that they knew the key was kept there that salt they would have and if the key was not delivered to them they would break the door they then asked the deponent's wife for the key and she refused to deliver it to them, upon which refusal some of them said it would be the worse if the key was not delivered at the same time the most active said: Come along, come along, we have talked long enough, let us be doing, or nearly the same words-At which they all of them went to the door of the house where the salt lay (except Jeremiah Colson who appeared to be their leader and who continued still to press for the key that they might not be under the necessity as he said of breaking the door) some picked up large stones others shook the door and some seemed to stand as sentinels with guns in their hands.
The deponent's wife being allarmed and fearing that other mischief might be done ran to the door and told Jere Colson that she would open the door and show the salt upon which he Jere Coloson called out to the others to stop and the deponent's wife opened the door and Jere Coloson with most of the others went into the house where the salt lay the depon- ent being unwell returned into the house but saw them carry several baggs away-
The deponent further saith that in about an hour his wife came into the house and brought a tally board which she said she kept to know what they carried away, and immediately after came in Jere Coloson with his followers and offered to pay for the salt which the deponent refused to Take still alledging as at first that he could not dispose of the salt, but they counted the money among them and laid it upon the Table and the deponent did then count it and after they had gone he put it away-The deponent saith that by his wife's tally they took 17} Bushels of salt and they left with him thirty-five Dollars in paper money-
Sworn to this 30 day of December 1776 before WM. HAYWARD.
SIR-When I Returned home the other Evening and found you had Bin waiting Some Time to talk over This Dark afare which I must Confess has Every Appearance of Rapin and Voilance But Worthy Sir when you Consider that this was InTirely an Act of Neede and not Charge and that not perhaps a man concerned had a jill of salt In his family for afornite youl In some measure Excuse it for my own part I Dont Believe a man on Earth has a greater avertion to mobs and voilances Than myself and a few months Back thought Nothing could
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AN INCIDENT OF THE REVOLUTION
have drove me Into it and I verely beleve it to be the Case with the whole and as to aplying to you for the salt I Confess we ought But ware By many InDividuals which you had Refused to sell To them for seven- teen persons to aply after this wold have pervented our geting any and that we cold no Longer Do without-And that we passed Mr. Hindman who they say had a greater quantity and went to that place it Being Defenceless I did not know he had a Bushel nor that any person on the Estern Shore had such a quantity as you had Whoever if the money we Left is not satisfactory we think ourselves Bound By Everything to give you your price and will when Requiered and hope when you Consider Colely on the matter youl not Indeavor to Drive us to any further accts of Rashness and am sorry it fell on you who from my Knowledge of yr family I shall allways Treet with Esteem and Respect.
I am Sir you very Humb Servant
Tho I am considered as a princable in the afare I Declare myself not. Decr 30th 1776.
JERE COLSTON
To the Hon James Ll Chamberlaine, Brig. Gen. Talbot Co.
LIST OF SLAVE HOLDERS IN TALBOT IN 1790
WHO OWNED TEN OR MORE SLAVES
The first Census of the United States, taken in the year 1790, gives the names of the head of each family, and among other data, in Mary- land, is given the number of slaves owned by each head of family. The following is a list of residents of Talbot County who owned ten or more negro slaves in the year 1790.
Aldern, Rebecca. 11
Dickinson, Samuel 28
Allen, Moses.
10
Duling, John. 10
Bracco, John. 25
Elbert, John . 19
Banning, Jere. 29
Edmondson, Pollard. 40
Bowie, John. 25
Fiddeman, Ann. 11
Bullet, Thomas 10
Ferguson, James 13
Barwick, William 10
Ferguson, William 19
Bordley, Mary 20
Gibson, John. 13
Botton, John. 11
Gibson, Elizabeth. 16
Bewley, Ann. 18
Grant, Thomas. 11
Bromwell, Edward, Jr. 17
Gibson, Wollman.
18
Browning, Elizabeth 14
Goldsborough, James 17
Birckhead, Henrietta. 21
Goldsborough, Sarah
14
Callender, Andrew 10
Gordon, Mary
37
Chamberlaine, Henrietta 60
Gardiner, Charles.
13
Cox, Daniel Powell.
22
Gibson, Jacob. 12
Chamberlaine, Samuel.
76
Goldsborough, Thomas 13
Clark, William.
11
Goldsborough, Howes 37
Corkran, John.
15
Goldsborough, Mary Ann
22
Catrip, William.
15
Goldsborough, Robert. 41
Clark, Arthur
11
Goldsborough, William 22
Cain, Daniel. 80
Hollyday, Ann. 78
Caulk, John. 14
Hendrix, Edward
25
Dougherty, John
13
Harwood, John. 12
Dawson, William 16 Hughley, Woolman 12
Dawson, Impey 26 Hambleton, William. 12
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LIST OF SLAVE HOLDERS IN TALBOT IN 1790
Haddaway, William Webb 10
Oldham, Ann. 11
Hindman, William 61
Perry, William 35
Harris, Joseph. 13
Price, Joseph. 10
Haskins, Joseph. 10
Pickering, Robert 16
Hambleton, William 16
Perry, William 14
Hardcastle, John 22
Parratt, Perry 12
Hindman, John.
16
Register, Samuel. 18
Hayward, William
28
Roberts, John 20
Harrison, John W
17
Rigby, Philip. 10
Hayward, William
62
Rolle, Robert. 11
Jones, Robert. 10
Rolle, John. 18
Jones, John. 15
Skinner, Andrew. 12
Johnson, Henry
22
Stanfield, Richard.
11
Jenkins, Thomas.
13
Sewell, Bazill 14
Johns, Richard
19
Sharp, Margaret.
11
Jenkins, Walter 15
Sherwood, Thomas 15
Johnson, Randolph 10
Stevens, John. 15
Kerr, David. 10
Shannhan, John. 19
Kemp, Benjamin 14
Sherwood, Philemon 12
Kemp, Alice.
17
Sherwood, Samuel 10
Lloyd, James. 18
Seth, Thomas M. 12
Lurty, Elizabeth 17
Stevens, Samuel. 10
Lavill, William.
10
Singleton, John. 30
Lamdin, Wrightson 11
Sherwood, Elizabeth 15
Lamdin, Robert 14
Sears, William. 28
Lowe, James. 11
Turner, Edward. 11
Lamdin, William
16
Thomas, John. 16
Lloyd, Edward 305
Turner, Joseph. 17
Nabb, Charles.
14
Turner, John. 29
Nicolls, Robert D.
24
Tydings, Richard 11
Nicolls, Henry .
30
Tilghman, Lloyd 66
Newcome, Robert
15
Tilghman, Ann 59
Manadier, William.
23
Tenant, Samuel. 10
McCallum, Alexander. 10 Tilghman, Richard. 15
Martin, Robert 13 Tilghman, Peregrine 73
Martin, Henry
14 Thomas, James. 14
Martin, Mary 27 Thomas, Rachel 30
Martin, Tristram
13
Thomas, William
14
Harris, Thomas. 10
Porter, Philemon 34
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HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
Trippe, Richard
30 Weyman, Thomas 10
Vickers, Sarah.
15 Willson, James 16
Webb, Peter 10
Note: The next to the largest slave holder in Talbot County in 1790, was Daniel Cain. He shortly afterwards sold his lands in Chapel Dis- trict and removed to Queen Anne's County and lived and died at Cain's Cross-Roads, which still perpetuates his name.
THE WAR OF 1812-15 IN TALBOT
BEING A CONTRIBUTION TO THE MILITARY ANNALS OF THAT COUNTY
To those who see in the marshalling of great armies in the field or the assembling of great fleets upon the sea ;. in their evolutions and ma- noeuvres; in their victories or their defeats; in their ravaging of coun- tries and their destruction of cities; in "the pride, the pomp and the circumstance of glorious war," the only interesting and important materials of history: and to those who regard generals and admirals and other captains of high rank; their characters and conduct; their triumphs and reverses; their greatnesses and their weaknesses; their inspiriting word and their fortifying port, as only worthy of historic commemoration, the annals of this county must appear singularly barren and unattractive. No large armies, hostile or friendly, have ever invaded or defended our peaceful homes; no great commanders,military or naval, have ever scourged or shielded our quiet borders; no field of ours has ever been enriched by a foeman's blood or rendered glorious by a patriot's death. No sailor or soldier of national repute of high rank first drew breath from our halcyon air, though there have been some, not unknown to fame, who found in Talbot a pleasant retreat when the toils and dangers of the war were over, and an honoring recognition from her people of meritorious services to their country. But though her annals have not been thus illustrated by great deeds of war performed, or by great men of war performing their parts of invader or defender upon her narrow stage, they are not entirely devoid of such embellishments. Talbot has not wholly escaped the alarms and the devastation, nor missed entirely the glories of war. To be sure the former were not of the most terrific and destructive kind, nor were the latter the most effulgent. Some petty Hengists or Horsas, Indian or English, have at times ravaged her coasts. She has given birth to brave men who, if not heroes, have done heroic deeds, deeds that are worthy of record, although they have not won the notice of the historic muse. Indeed it may be said that this county had its birth in the throes prematurely induced by war, for unquestionably the first settlers upon the main were Claiborne's people driven from their homes upon Kent Island by the partisans of Lord Baltimore. If the marauding and murdering expeditions of the savage Nantikoes of the southern part of the penin- sula, or of the yet more savage Susquehannocks towards the north,
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HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
can be called war, then Talbot suffered some of the evils resulting from these, and acquired something of credit for repelling them. As for the Indians on her own soil, by whatsoever name they may be designated, they had, years before the coming in of Europeans, been "made women of," or completely subjugated by the ferocious and gigantic neighbors of the north, so that the people of Talbot never suffered any trouble from this source. Being far removed from the principal seat of the old French and Indian war her borders were not harassed by these foes, though it is possible tne shores of the bay within her limits were troubled by French cruisers, who as war was then conducted were little better than pirates. But by the public records we are informed that Talbot sent a company of two hundred men, in 1757, to garrison one of the forts upon the frontier. This fort was Fort Cumberland, concerning which much is said in our pre-revolutionary history. Unfortunately that history has failed to record the name of the brave captain of this militia company which made a part of Captain Dagworthy's1 force that was sent to protect and defend this remote military post; but it has been more kind to Captain Pritchard who commanding a mer- chant ship, built at Oxford, and sailing out of that port in 1744 beat off a French privateer that attacked him with superior force, though at the cost of his own life. In the war of the Revolution this county was not called upon to suffer from the presence of the enemy except as he appeared as marauding parties sent out from the fleet of the enemy within the Chesapeake bay, which carried off much property, Col. Edward Lloyd, the great-grand-father of the worthy gentleman now living of the same name being one of the principal sufferers. Some of the citizens whose estates were most exposed to these depredations built, equipped and manned at their own expense the barge Experiment, to cruise in the Eastern Bay and check the operations of these plunderers and house burners.2 Talbot also furnished her full quota to the Mary- land line, and the names Hindman, Hughes, Gibson, Goldsborough
1 Captain Dagworthy was from Somerset, though not a native of that county.
2 The following names are attached to a subscription paper, a copy of which is in'the possession of the writer, for the purpose designated: Matthew Tilgh- man, William Paca, Edward Lloyd, Peregrine Tilghman, William Lloyd, William Hemsley, Robert Goldsborough, William Hindman, James Hindman, Robt. Golds- borough, Junior, James Baker, J. S. Gibson, William Goldsborough, William Lavelle, (?) Mary Ann Goldsborough, Mary Ann Turbutt Goldsborough, Eliza- beth Maxwell, Howes Goldsborough, Thomas Ray, Robert Pickering, William Dawson, Samuel Benson, Richard Parrott, Joseph Hartley, William Gibson, J. Gibson, L. R. Skinner, Hugh Rice, William Tilghman.
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WAR OF 1812-15 IN TALBOT
and Benson, if not that of Anderson, are inscribed upon her roll of honor, to which must be added that of Col. Tilghman, a native of this county though a soldier of Pennsylvania. But these men were not called upon to meet an enemy upon their natal soil, invading their very homes. With the exception already noted, this county rested in peace during the troubled years of the revolution, her placid waters undis- turbed by hostile prows, her fields unscarred by the cannon of friend or foe, her skies unclouded by the smoke of war.3 It was not until the war of 1812-15, which for long, and it were well had it been longer, was called "the late war," that it fell to the lot of Talbot to defend her soil from an organized invading foe. It is the purpose of the con- tribution to her history to relate the circumstances of this invasion and its repulse, with an accuracy and a particularity of detail that have never been attempted and were not called for in those general histories of the State and nation which have noticed the event, but are not merely allowable to but are demanded of the local annalist.
During the long wars upon the continent of Europe which followed the great French revolution, much occurred to produce irritation be- tween the principal parties to that war and the people of the United States. Twice we were on the verge of war with France, and once, before actual war broke out, with England. Conflicting interests of the last named and America, coupled with some arbitrary, oppressive and insulting measures of the British government, at last, resulted in actual hostilities. On the 18th of June, 1812, after a long and acri- monious discussion by Congress, a formal declaration of war against
3 Periodically there has been an access of the military fever in this county. In 1794 when troops were called for by Congress to suppress the insurrection in western Pennsylvania, Captains Coats and Erskine recruited companies in Talbot, and Lieutenant Colonel Perry Benson, and Major Daniel Powell Cox marched at the head of a regiment, in part composed of men of this county, into the dis- affected region. Again in 1798 when the course of the French Directory threatened to interrupt the amicable relations between America and her ancient ally, spirited addresses were issued here calling upon young men to enlist as soldiers, companies were formed, and the militia organized in preparation for war. The paroxysm of 1808, referred to in the text, was but prelusive of the well developed attack of 1812. Our body politic was free from febrile symptoms until the war with Mexico in 1846, when the presence of the military ferment in the blood was betrayed by the organization of many volunteer companies. The public pulse at this date was made to beat a little fuller, harder and more frequent under the influence of the boundary controversy with England; but it was not till 1860-61 that the most violent exacerbation of the disease took place, induced by the poison of secession and rebellion, which infected so many of our people.
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HISTORY OF TALBOT COUNTY
Great Britain was declared. A measure, the propriety and ex- pediency of which called forth so much intemperateness of expres- sion by the opposing and approving parties, still divides the opinions of historians according to their party predilections. It is not pro- posed to revive the discussion whether the United States had just grounds for declaring war, or whether Congress displayed reasonable prudence in making such declaration in the unprepared condition of the country for conducting a contest with one of the strongest of nations. The diversity of sentiment, which, at the time, existed throughout the whole country, manifested itself in this county. The Federalists, who represented the conservative opinions of the community, and who were represented by their opponents as being the allies of the British, warmly condemned the action of Congress; while the Republicans, or Democrats, as they were interchangeably called, as earnestly defended. In the election of 1811 for delegates to the lower house of Assembly, which must be taken as expressive of the opinions of the people of the county upon the subject, the Democrats had the majority of votes; but at the same time the Federalists, as being of the party representing the larger share of the wealth and intelligence of the county, possessed an influence calculated to outweigh the numerical superiority of their opponents. Accordingly we find that at the election of 1812, which came on after the declaration of war, and also, it must be mentioned, after certain reverses to our arms, they carried the county by a very decided majority, electing to the Assembly Messrs. Edward N. Ham- bleton, Jabez Caldwell, Robert Banning and John Seth, thus appar- ently condemning the policy of the administration and the dominant party. But in 1813 this verdict was reversed, if that may be regarded as indicative of a change of opinion which may have been really only an aroused patriotic feeling induced by Perry's and Chauncy's victories, by the outrages of the enemy upon the Chesapeake, and, more nearly still, by the successful repulse of the enemy at St. Michaels. In this year Messrs. John Bennett, Daniel Martin, Jonathan Spencer and Sam- uel Stevens, Jr., Democrats, defenders of the war, and some of them actual participants in the affair, about to be related, were elected to the General Assembly, from Talbot. In 1814, however, the Federal- ists were again successful. The people had either returned to their former convictions of the impolicy of the war, or the humiliation of the burning of the Capitol of the Nation by an insignificant force of the enemy, which the orators and writers of the Federal party were ready enough to attribute to the imbecility of the Democratic admin-
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WAR OF 1812-15 IN TALBOT
istration, under Mr. Madison, a humiliation which the previous suc- cess of the Americans at North Point did not serve to dispel, had in- duced them to place their condemnation upon those who were directing the government and the contest in which the country was engaged. In this year the same gentlemen who had been elected in 1812 were again sent to the legislature, except that Mr. Alexander Hands was substituted for Mr. Robert Banning. It is proper to state for the com- plete understanding of the state of public sentiment, that in 1812 Mr. Alemby Jump, of Caroline county, a Federalist received a majority of the votes cast at the election for President in 1812, in this county, though Col. Edward Lloyd, of Talbot, Democrat was elected by the electoral district at large. Also it should be said that the Hon. Robert H. Goldsborough a pronounced Federalist, was, in May, 1813, chosen United States Senator for Maryland in place of Mr. Reed, whose term of service had expired on the 4th of March preceding. So much it has been thought necessary to say of the condition of public opinion or pub- lic feeling in Talbot previous to and during the war of 1812-15, of which the incidents about to be related made a part. If it should appear that a greater importance has been given to these incidents than they deserve, those acquainted with the laws of intellectual optics will know that their magnitude is only apparent because they are near, and therefore subtend a larger angle in the historic eye.
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