USA > Maine > Sagadahoc County > Bath > History of Bath and environs, Sagadahoc County, Maine. 1607-1894 > Part 23
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Artillery .- " Pay roll of Capt. Jordan Parker's company, in Col. Samuel McCobb's command, in the service of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Dec. 1, 1781." Jordan Parker, Captain, enlisted May 3; Josiah Hinkley, Lieutenant, enlisted May 3; George Ulmer, Lieutenant, enlisted May 10; Elisha Shaw, Ensign, enlisted May 15. The roll contains the names of fifty-one "rank and file," the larger portion serving nearly seven months, the pay of the entire company amounting to £987 35. 5d., and were discharged Dec. 1, 1781. The pay of the commander was sixty dollars a month; the men, fifteen dollars a month. There is nothing on record to indicate the line of service of this artillery company. Jordan Parker resided at Phips- burg and was a deacon of Rev. Ezekiel Emerson's church.
Reinforcements to the Continental Army. - A detail was made of troops from the county of Lincoln "for filling up the fifteen battalions of Continental troops," and thirty-three men were
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raised and sent to Fishkill May 28, 1778, under the command of Theophilus Batchelder, by "Samuel McCobb, superintendent." Of these men there were eleven from Georgetown and three from Woolwich.
July, 1778, there were sent to reinforce the regular army a detail of forty-nine men and officers under the command of Benjamin Lemont, Captain, and Samuel Berry, Lieutenant, from the regiment of Col. Samuel McCobb and brigade of Gen. Charles Cushing.
Winter Hill .- Immediately north of the original Bunker Hill is Winter Hill, which has a Revolutionary record of interest to the people of Bath. As appears on page 56 of this History, a military company of sixty-two officers and men was formed at Bath soon after the battle of Lexington and marched to Cambridge and took part in the battle of Bunker Hill, after which the company was encamped at Winter Hill as part of Col. John Nixon's regiment. Here the regiment threw up a fortification which stretched across the top of the hill, extending east and west on a line that passed where now. is a Methodist church. In excavating for a foundation for this building, two six-pound round shot were found. In building the church, the lower half of which is of stone, these balls were inserted in the stone of the main door-way, one on each side of the door, half the round ball protruding, showing age and wear of the elements.
It will be recollected that when Washington took command of the army he established a cordon of fortifications surrounding Boston, placing it in a state of siege. At these points were stationed dif- ferent regiments, Winter Hill being assigned to this regiment. At one time during its stay there, General Washington visited it and remained over night in a house within the fortification. A flat stone which formed a step on which he must have trod when entering it is now a choice relic in the possession of Mr. Jonathan Brown, whose residence is near the spot where stood the ancient house.
On the south declivity of this hill a granite tablet has been placed which is firmly set into the ground and is in dimensions about half
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a foot thick, four feet in height, and two and a half feet in width. It has on it this inscription : ---
PAUL REVERE PASSED OVER THIS ROAD ON HIS MIDNIGHT RIDE TO LEXINGTON AND CONCORD, APRIL 18, 1775. SITE OF THE "WINTER HILL FORT," A STRONGHOLD BUILT BY THE AMERICAN FORCES WHILE BESIEGING BOSTON, 1775-6.
So far as the site of the fort is concerned the location of this tablet is misleading, inasmuch as there is conclusive evidence that the fortification was at the apex and across the hill, its lines having been identified by aged people now living (1893) at the " Hill." Its height is one hundred and twenty feet above tide water.
After the surrender of Burgoyne, several hundred Hessian pris- oners were quartered on this hill, and bones of some of their dead have been dug up there since 1850, when excavating to make foun- dations for buildings. These Hessian prisoners went to work, remained there permanently, and their children became good citi- zens, retaining in some degree the foreign brogue to the present day.
The name of Winter Hill was derived from that of an early settler of that name who lived there, as told by an aged lady who died twenty-six years since, when eighty years of age. This historic locality can be reached by lines of street cars from Boston. It is now a part of North Somerville, having been set off from Charles- town in 1843.
After the Revolutionary war a reorganization of the military system of Massachusetts was effected, and it was put on a more thorough basis. Every man from the age of eighteen to forty-five, except in certain cases exempt, was compelled by law to be placed as a soldier on the roll of a company, which met for drill in military tactics four days in a year. This service was afterwards changed in the State of Maine to a half day twice a year, one
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in May and one in September, and also general muster of the regiment in the fall, usually in September. Absence from either subjected the delinquent to a fine. He was also required to appear on parade with a gun and equipments under the penalty of a fine. The towns were compelled to keep on hand, under heavy fine, ammunition specified by law. Bath had two companies and belonged to the first regiment, first brigade, and eleventh division, until Maine became a state, when it belonged to the fourth division. There was also, nearly always, a "uniformed" infantry company in Bath, and at times a rifle company and an artillery company. For fifty years a lively military spirit was kept up, as there were wars and rumors of wars. In time military service lost its interest and few men after 1830 were willing to accept military office, and the ranks became thin. But the "Aroostook war" of February and March, 1839, temporarily aroused the martial spirit, until the legislature in the winter of 1844 abolished the entire military sys- tem, giving commissioned officers honorable discharge. The change was followed by the volunteer system of "uniformed " companies, with equipments supplied by the state, to drill at their own option, with one general muster four days in the year with pay and rations. These organizations were not kept up during the civil war, but new companies were formed after its close, and the state now has a very respectable militia. For the era comprised between the time of the abandonment of the old militia system in 1844, and the com- mencement of the civil war in 1861, Bath had no company but the City Grays.
" The exact time of the formation of any of the militia companies subsequent to the Revolution is not known. In 1788 the Ist regi- ment of the ist brigade and 6th division of the Massachusetts militia mustered for the first time where the Bath Hotel formerly stood. John Lemont, of Bath, was Colonel, and John Reed, of Topsham, Lieutenant-Colonel, of this regiment" (vide History of Brunswick).
In 1795 the inhabitants of Bath raised an artillery company. Their guns were brass, three-pounders, and their first gun house was on the south-east corner of High and South streets, where
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Francis Adams' house stands. The first corps of officers were: Captain, John Moodey; Ist Lieut., William Blasland; 2d Lieut., Caleb Lincoln.
According to Lemont, there was a company under the command of Capt. J. W. Mitchell, numbering ninety-four men, liable to mili- tary duty, the roll of which is dated May 4, 1802; the only men living in December, 1866, were Andrew Heath, Gilbert Trufant, David Sewall, and Joshua Sewall.
" May 6, 1806, the BATH LIGHT INFANTRY was organized and voted to dress in red coats and turn out in uniform for the first time on May 12th, and on the 24th received an elegant standard from William King " (per Z. Hyde).
Besides " uniformed companies," Bath always had of later years two companies of militia of the line, the records of which are not at hand.
March 8, 1808, WILLIAM KING, having been appointed major- general, was escorted into town on coming from Boston by troops of Topsham, Brunswick, and Bath. He had not filled any previous commissioned office in the militia. He served until after 1817. In that year Governor Strong, of Massachusetts, came down to Bath and reviewed the Bath regiment at its annual muster. It was a great occasion.
May 5, 1821, Bath Rifle Corps was organized with Joshua Bow- man, Captain; Barnard C. Bailey, Lieutenant, and Harris Gurney, Ensign.
In 1821, a Rifle Corps under the command of Capt. Joshua Bow- man, and Bath Light Infantry company under Lieut. Davis Hatch, took part in a Fourth of July celebration.
Aug. 9, 1821, Davis Hatch was promoted to Captain of the Bath Light Infantry ; Gershom Hyde promoted Lieutenant, and Thomas S. Marsh, Ensign.
In 1825, Alexander Drummond, Jr., of Phipsburg, was Colonel of the regiment ; William M. Reed, Lieutenant-Colonel ; Capt. Thomas M. Reed, acting Major.
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When LAFAYETTE visited Portland, in 1825, the Bath Light In- fantry, by invitation, marched to Portland and took part in the pro- cession.
In 1788, the MUSTER GROUND was immediately south of where Phonix Hotel now is. Later there was a muster field near the present poor-house farm; later, on Hospital Point, and the last mus- ter of uniformed militia was in the old Sewall field in about 1848, when E. K. Harding was commander, the Bath Grays in existence, and Portland Light Infantry present on duty.
Sept. 21, 1836, there was a MUSTER of the first brigade of the fourth division, under command of Brigadier-General Jeremiah Millay of Bowdoinham, at Brunswick, on the plain east of the village, with attached independent companies, the First or Bath regiment participating. All the companies of the regiment were on duty. Nathaniel C. Reed was in command of a Phipsburg company.
The Aroostook War of 1839. - In February, 1839, Bath was called upon to furnish a draft of men from the ranks of its militia companies to serve in a campaign in the Aroostook River region, where hostilities were imminent between Maine and New Brunswick relative to the right of possession of a "disputed territory" connected with an undefined line between the two governments, the crisis having been brought on by the plundering by lumbermen of New Brunswick of valuable timber from land claimed by the State of Maine. In attempting to drive off the invaders by force of arms collisions had ensued, and in consequence both Maine and New Brunswick made preparations for actual war.
This state of things raised a tremendous excitement throughout the state, arousing the military spirit that had long remained dor- mant. Augusta became filled with troops, and within a week ten thousand soldiers were on duty in that city or on the march to Aroostook. Before regular hostilities had time to commence, Gen. Scott came down from Washington with his staff, early in March, and, to the general disappointment of the greater portion of the drafted men, made a truce between Gov. Fairfield, of Maine, and
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Gov. Harvey, of New Brunswick. Within a year the disputed lines were settled by the treaty of Washington, negotiated by Daniel Webster, Secretary of State, and Lord Ashburton, Ambassador from England.
This brief episode of war found the militia of the state in a con- dition of demoralization and inspired it to renewed activity, which lasted to a considerable extent until the abolishment of the militia system at the session of the legislature of 1844.
When the act was passed by the Maine legislature abolishing the militia system in 1844, all officers then in commission received from the state authorities a certificate declaring their honorable discharge. Consequently there was no enrolled militia until after 1848, when a law was passed providing for the formation of volunteer com- panies, the arms and equipments to be provided at the expense of the state.
The Bath City Grays .- Under the militia law of 1848, fifty- two young men, of Bath, of the highest standing enrolled their names for the formation of a military company, which was organized Aug. 3, 1850, electing Edward K. Harding, Captain; John G. Rich- ardson, Ist Lieutenant; Thomas S. Bowles, 2d Lieutenant; Galen Clapp, 3d Lieutenant; James T. Patten, 4th Lieutenant, and A. J. Farnsworth, Orderly Sergeant. In September of the same year the enrollment had increased to seventy-four members, and up to Aug. 22, 1859, the entire enrollment had been one hundred and eight, which included members who had dropped out from time to time. They made their first public parade Oct. 24, 1850, accompanied by the Bath brass band. After marching through the principal streets, at 11 o'clock A.M. they took a special train for Brunswick, where they partook of a collation at the residence of Mr. J. C. Cleveland, one of their members, and a dinner at the Tontine Hotel. Their fine appearance as they marched through the streets and went through various military evolutions elicited the hearty applause of the citizens of that village. Capt. Harding was promoted to colonel of the regiment to which the company was attached, when J. G. Richardson became captain, and upon his
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resignation William Rogers was elected captain and served during the continuance of the company's organization.
This company was in existence at the time of the notable Know Nothing riot of 1854, and was called out by the mayor and rendez- voused at its armory on Front street ready for any emergency. It performed some delicate duty in quelling the mob without resort to the use of their arms. The Grays proved themselves equal to the occasion, acting promptly and fearlessly. They were under the command of Capt. E. K. Harding.
The CITY GRAYS, by invitation, went to Boston in the summer of 1853, and took part in the celebration of the completion of the city water works, on which occasion the company with full ranks made a notable display. It also went on several other occasions to take part in public parades on many notable excursions in and out of the state, and entertained visiting companies from other parts of the state.
Bath in the War of the Rebellion .- " The Bath City Grays, which had been formed in 1850, was at the commencement of the war of the Rebellion the only organized company left in the state under the voluntary militia law " ( Maine Archives). When the war of the Rebellion came on, and the regiments of Maine volunteers were to be formed under the first call for troops, Governor Coburn sent a requisition to Bath for two hundred men. With the City Grays as a basis, the requisite number enlisted and were formed into two companies. William Rogers remained Captain of one company, with Reuben Sawyer and W. D. Haley, Lieutenants; C. A. L. Sampson was elected Captain of the other company, with William H. Watson, Ist Lieutenant, and Warren Matson, 2d Lieu- tenant. They were ordered to Augusta and went there by steamer. While there Captain Rogers resigned, and Ist Lieut. Reuben Sawyer was promoted to the command, with W. D. Haley and J. S. Wiggin, Lieutenants. These companies were mustered into the Third Maine Regiment, which rendezvoused at Augusta, and was organized June 4, 1861, of which O. O. Howard was Colonel. The Bath com- panies became Company A, Capt. Reuben Sawyer, and Company
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D, Capt. C. A. L. Sampson. Joseph S. Smith, of Bath, was a private in Company I of this regiment, was promoted to quartermaster- sergeant, and Nov. 14, 1861, commissioned captain in the commis- sary department of the army:
When Captain Sampson was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel, Ist Lieut. W. H. Watson became Captain of Co. D in the fall of 1861. When Captain Sawyer died, while in service, George W. Harvey, of Co. A, was promoted to the command of the company, and Lieut. J. S. Wiggin was promoted to the captaincy of Co. I of the Third Regiment.
When the Seventh Regiment was organized at Augusta, Aug. 21, 1861, Thomas W. Hyde joined it from Bath with Company D, and soon after it was mustered in Capt. Hyde was appointed major of the same regiment. In this company George C. Morse, of Bath, went out a lieutenant, and afterwards became a captain.
The Ninth Regiment rendezvoused at Augusta, Sept. 22, 1861, and a Bath company with Zina H. Robinson, Captain, was mus- tered therein.
The Nineteenth Regiment rendezvoused at Bath and organized Aug. 25, 1862, with F. D. Sewall, of Bath, Colonel. Company K, of Bath, with Charles S. Larrabee, Captain, was mustered into this regiment.
The Bath companies served chiefly in the army of the Potomac. Of the original members of the Bath City Grays, thirty-six went into the war of the Rebellion, serving in the Army of the Potomac, some of them attaining rank of all grades up to colonels and generals.
There were Bath men who entered the Cavalry service, but as they formed no distinct organization, there is no special record of . their names or services.
One hundred and ten men was the quota for Bath and vicinity for service in the navy, and that number enlisted; among those belong- ing to Bath were John O. Shaw, D. L. Wylie, W. H. Fogg, H. M. Hagan, F. Eaton, C. W. Price, A. Dunham, sailing master.
Soldiers' Monument. - The soldiers' monument, standing on High street in front of the court-house, was erected by the city gov
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ernment in 1867, a worthy tribute to those patriotic citizen soldiers who gave up their lives that the undivided government might live. The names of the officers inscribed on this handsome marble shaft are Captains George W. Harvey, Ashbury C. Richards, Alfred S. Merrill, Reuben Sawyer, Lieut. Luther Small, and there are 106 pri- vates.
Those officers who went from this city to the front and survived the war were, Generals, Thomas W. Hyde and F. D. Sewall; Lieu- tenant-Colonel, Charles A. L. Sampson; Major, Zina H. Robinson; Captains, A. W. Turner, J. S. Wiggin, W. H. Watson, George S. Morse, Alfred Robinson, James L. Hunt, George W. Bicknell, Charles S. Larrabee, George W. Prince; Lieutenants, R. C. Harris, George H. Hutchinson, W. D. Haley, Samuel M. Donnell, F. R. Smith; Engineer, David R. Wylie.
Two hundred and two men of Bath lost their lives in the war of the Rebellion.
Companies of the Reserved Militia. - In June, 1883, the Bath Light Infantry was formed and Henry E. Stetson was elected Captain; John O. Patten, ist Lieutenant, and William R. Ballou, 2d Lieutenant. In September, 1886, this company was reorganized with Henry W. Howard, Captain; Albert A. Reed, ist Lieutenant, and E. H. Sawyer, 2d Lieutenant. In the spring of 1887, Albert A. Reed became its Captain; A. C. Harris, Ist Lieutenant; E. H. Sawyer, 2d Lieutenant.
In April, 1887, this company held a GOVERNOR'S RECEPTION, at Gardiner, of an evening. For the music the celebrated Reeves American Band came from Providence, R. I., the first time it had been in this state, and on the evening before the governor's reception gave a concert in the Alameda Opera House, Bath, to a large audi- ence. The company went to Gardiner to give an exhibition drill at the governor's reception, and its performance was exceedingly cred- itable. In attendance were Gov. FREDERICK ROBIE and his staff, all of the military officers of the higher grades in the state and those on duty at the Togus Veterans' Home, together with ladies and prominent gentlemen from several cities in the state.
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By special invitation this company with full ranks, Capt. A. A. Reed, went to Portland, July 4, 1887, and took part in a notable parade on the streets, in which the regiments of the state militia and the military from three naval ships, lying in the harbor, took part in a Fourth of July celebration. During the succeeding winter the commissioned officers resigned and new officers were chosen. The Captain was George H. Clark; Ist Lieutenant, I. A. Harris; 2d Lieutenant, John T. Parris. Efforts had been made to have this company mustered in under the state laws as state troops, and the adjutant-general had acceded to the proposition, but as a number of the rank and file objected to enlistment the scheme was aban- doned and the company disbanded.
Hyde Light Guards was organized May 15, 1890, with Charles F. Nealey, Captain, who resigned Oct. 29, 1891, when James B. Hill was elected Captain. This company composes a part of the volunteer militia of Maine. It carries a banner presented by Judge William L. Putnam, Portland, a native of Bath.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The first fire company that was formed in Bath was composed of the most prominent men of the town. It was the " Bath Fire So- ciety," instituted March 3, 1803. In its rules were specified that " each member shall pay seventy-five cents, and shall provide him- self with two leather buckets, two bags, and a knapsack for the purpose of carrying the bags; the bags to be made of raven's duck, to have strings at their open ends, and to be each one and a half yard in length and three-fourths of a yard in width. The buckets, bags, and knapsack shall be constantly kept together in some con- spicuous part of his dwelling-house, shall always be preserved in good order, shall be used on no occasion except on alarms of fire, and shall be marked with the first letter of his Christian name and his surname at length, on penalty of twenty-five cents for neglect in each particular; one or both buckets, one or both bags, and knap- sack shall be considered an article."
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The members of the company at one period of its existence were : Barnard C. Bailey, J. Henry Mclellan, William M. Rogers, Samuel G. Stinson, Samuel Swanton, Richard Nutter, Oliver Moses, Richard R. Smith, Converse L. Owen, Johnson Rideout, George Wood, Amasa Soule, Daniel Larrabee, Denny Kelley, John Peterson, B. Stinson, Peter Knight, D. D. Hodgkins, Samuel D). Haley, James Wakefield, Henry C. Donnell, Barzilla Gannett, Charles Clapp, Jr., David T. Stinson, John Elliot, E. Ayers, Thomas Eaton, Jr., J. Far- rin, R. P. Morse, Elisha Clark, J. Haley, 2d, Asa B. Robinson, Levi P. Lemont, George Davis, Thomas Gilpatrick, David P. Low, Edward Hodgkins.
" Upon an ALARM OF FIRE every member shall immediately repair thereto with his buckets, bags, and knapsack; and shall, in a special manner, direct his exertions to the preservation of those buildings and effects, belonging to the members of this society, more imme- diately exposed to destruction. And should any member lose his buckets or bags at a fire, and, after diligent search and inquiry, should be unable to recover them, the loss shall be repaired by the society."
" Should any member of this society be reduced in his circum- stances by fire, he shall be presented by the society with whatever sum they, considering his situation, may think proper. The same assistance and protection shall be extended to the widows of deceased members that their husbands would be entitled to were they living."
At the scene of the fire a line would be formed leading to a water supply, where the pails would be filled and passed from hand to hand until emptied upon the flames, when they would be passed back again in the same manner. On some occasions a second line would be formed to pass the emptied buckets back again. When the crowd had become pressing, a rope would be drawn in the rear of the bucket line and kept taut. When the men in the line fell short, lookers-on would be pressed into service by a town ordinance.
The FIRST ENGINE brought into the town was a "tub," into which water would be poured from the pails, and from thence thrown upon the fire by the use of brakes. This was in 1804. The first suction
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engine was the Kennebec, now in existence, and was purchased in 1838. The next was the Deluge. The Torrent was bought in Boston, Aug. 9, 1843, costing $955, and was called No. 2. A new engine company was formed with Edwin A. Morse, fore- man. The machine was purchased by subscription, each member of the company taking a share at five dollars. As every able-bodied man must belong to a fire company or be liable to do military duty, membership rapidly increased, starting with seventeen men. A peculiarity of the fire system was that of the appointment of war- dens, in which capacity William King and Joseph Sewall were chosen as such in 1837, and performed the duty of carrying a long rod, on the upper end of which was a bright round knob to use in keeping firemen close to their work.
Chief Engineers .-- 1804, Joseph Torrey; 1849, Jeremiah Ells- worth; 1850-5, John G. Richardson; 1856-7, C. D. Elmes; 1858-9, L. G. Litchfield; 1860-4, Samuel L. Allen; 1865-6, Read Nichols; 1867-8, William Ingalls; 1869, Solomon Reed; 1870-1, William Hodgdon; 1872, Charles L. Turner; 1873-4, William C. Duncan; 1875-6, Thomas F. Craven; 1877-8, John T. Cook; 1879-81, Andrew R. Cahill; 1882-3, John R. Knowlton; 1884-6, Oscar F. Williams; 1887, Sidney B. Knight; 1888, George S. Brown; 1889, James H. Scott; 1890, Sidney B. Knight; 1891, James H. Scott; 1893, John R. Knowlton.
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