USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Bristol > History of York, Maine, successively known as Bristol (1632), Agamenticus (1641), Gorgeana (1642), and York (1652) Vol. I > Part 31
USA > Maine > York County > York > History of York, Maine, successively known as Bristol (1632), Agamenticus (1641), Gorgeana (1642), and York (1652) Vol. I > Part 31
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
In 1755 provincial troops were still billeted at York and Capt. Thomas Bragdon was in command of a com- pany acting as a guard to convoy government stores destined for Fort Halifax. In May 1756 England again made a declaration of war against France after desultory sniping in scattered localities from Virginia to the St. Lawrence. Gen. Edward Braddock's army, had been defeated and himself killed at Fort Duquesne near Pitts- burg and Maine as well as the whole country was aroused. Days of fasting were held throughout New England and the fighting spirit called for a finish fight. The French had been erecting forts at Ticonderoga, between Lakes George and Champlain, Fort Frederic at Crown Point, Fort
338
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PARSONAGE
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HISTORY OF YORK
acknowledging payment in 1747 "Pour avoir fait une amputation de la jambe de Mons. Jean Kingsbury." The wooden leg of "Mons." Kingsbury was an attic relic of his adventure in the old Kingsbury house until recent years. Samuel Blaisdell of this town probably died at Louisburg in this campaign (Hoyt, Old Salisbury, ii, 620).
The treaty of peace between France and England, signed at Aix-la-Chappelle October 18, 1748 closed this war here, which had cost Massachusetts 178,000 pounds sterling, later reimbursed by the English government. An article in this treaty deeply offended the people of York as well as the rest of the Province. By it Louisburg was sur- rendered to the French after three thousand citizens of Massachusetts had paid the supreme penalty in the recent expedition for its capture. Those of this town, in common with the others, had been used as pawns in this unhal- lowed dynastic war and were now denied the fruits of their sacrifices of blood and treasure. All such exhibitions of the indifference of the German-born kings of England to the interests and sentiments of the New England colonies resulted in a lack of confidence in the monarchy which resulted in the debacle that followed their fatuous course a generation later. The Province had a breathing spell of several years following, which was utilized by these hereditary enemies in preparation for the inevitable con- flict that would determine whether the lilies of France or the "Union Jack" was to fly at the masthead as a symbol of supremacy on this continent. It had now become a matter of general concern as the French were penetrating into the Ohio and Mississippi valleys on our rear.
In 1755 provincial troops were still billeted at York and Capt. Thomas Bragdon was in command of a com- pany acting as a guard to convoy government stores destined for Fort Halifax. In May 1756 England again made a declaration of war against France after desultory sniping in scattered localities from Virginia to the St. Lawrence. Gen. Edward Braddock's army, had been defeated and himself killed at Fort Duquesne near Pitts- burg and Maine as well as the whole country was aroused. Days of fasting were held throughout New England and the fighting spirit called for a finish fight. The French had been erecting forts at Ticonderoga, between Lakes George and Champlain, Fort Frederic at Crown Point, Fort
338
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YORK IN THE WARS AGAINST CANADA
Frontenac on the shore of Lake Ontario and Fort Niagara below the falls, a formidable chain. Early in 1755 active operations began against this menace, but the nearness of Nova Scotia, as a more direct threat, occupied the atten- tion of troops from this province at Annapolis, Chignecto, the Basin of Minas and vicinity, where the so-called poten- tial French neutrals lived. As usual the Indians took this opportunity to strike with their old allies wherever pos- sible by isolated attacks, though not in force. British regulars were being landed at Boston in increasing num- bers, as in May 1756 England made a declaration of war against France. The recapture of Louisburg was again planned but temporarily postponed to meet the neces- sities of the greater strategy of the coming campaigns. At this time soldiers of York were actively engaged in service at Fort William and Henry, at the head of Lake George, to which relief had been rushed after the surrender. The local troops arrived there two months later, about Octo- ber 1756, under the command of Capt. Joseph Holt. His company, attached to the regiment of Col. Ichabod Good- win, consisted of the following officers and privates : Tobias Allen, Ensign; Nathaniel Harmon, Charles Trafton and James Deshon, Sergeants; David Preble, Drummer. The privates were Joshua Ayers, James Averill, Joseph Bracey, Joseph Baston, Jeremiah Bean, Caleb Moody Carr, John Huson, Hugh Holman, Ichabod Jellison, Hezekiah Jel- lison, Joseph Kilgore, Abraham Linscott, William Moore, James Smith, Gideon Wittum and Benjamin Weeks (Mass. Arch. xciv, 500). Another muster roll of this com- pany the same year adds these names: Webster Simson, Stephen Lovejoy, Benjamin Woodman, and Samuel Smith. It is to be understood that, in most cases, the roster of companies was made up from volunteers taken from many localities, and in the lists which are to follow, only those belonging to York will be given. This company was in service the following year (Ibid. xciv, 379).
The year 1757 brought a new Governor to Massachu- setts, Thomas Pownal, as successor to Governor Shirley, who had finished his career in an unsuccessful campaign against Fort Niagara. Pownal made his first fighting speech to the General Court in which he said:
The war is no longer about a boundary, whether the French usurpa- tion shall extend to this or that mountain, this or that river; but
339
HISTORY OF YORK
whether that people shall wrest from British hands the rights and powers of trade and drive us from the Continent.
These were brave words but the French hung on tena- ciously to their possessions at Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and the English contingents could not translate Pownal's sentiments into victory. The English govern- ment was slow in meeting the activities of the French on this side of the ocean, but in 1758 there was a change of Ministry which brought into public notice a statesman who was soon to become the popular idol of the American people, William Pitt. Renewed vigor marked this infusion of new blood. Major-General Jeffrey Amherst and Admiral Edward Boscawen, in command of the land and naval forces, regular and provincial, headed a third expe- dition to reduce Louisburg. Nearly seven thousand troops and fifty-seven vessels constituted this formidable array. Of this number about six hundred were recruited in Maine, and investment of this old French fortress began in June 1758, and on July 26 the commandant capitu- lated. The news of this righteous restoration thirteen years after its capture by Pepperrell was received in York on August 17 with great rejoicing, with the usual noise of cannon and bells while toasts to "Billy" Pitt marked the gathering of the men folks who sought the taverns in the evening. In this adventure Gen. James Wolfe, first flashed on the scene of his meteoric military career on this continent. This commanding genius was selected the next year to bring this epochal contest between the two greatest military and naval powers of Europe to a speedy decision.
Col. Jedediah Preble, a native of York, was in com- mand of a regiment this year and one of his companies was under command of Capt. James Gowen of Kittery. A large number of the officers and privates were from this town: Samuel Rounds, Ensign; John Adams, Lieutenant (died July 16, 1758); Samuel Beal, Sergeant; and John Black, Corporal. The privates were: Benjamin Beal, Josiah Beal, Josiah Beal, Jr., Obadiah Beal, Joseph Beal, Moses Banks, Josiah Banks, Joseph Bradbury, Richard Brawne, Matthew Bright, Jonathan Beal, Samuel Bridge, Samuel Cook, Daniel Curry, John Cook, John Grover, Edward Harmon, Joseph Harrison (died July 3, 1758), Aaron Ingraham, Samuel Kingsbury, Joshua Lord, Joshua
340
YORK IN THE WARS AGAINST CANADA
Moore, George Moore, Thomas Moulton, Joshua Mc- Lucas, Thomas Oliver, Samuel Park, Daniel Pottle (died August 24, 1758), Joseph Rounds, John Ramsdell (died October 3, 1758), Ebenezer Smith, Dependence Stover, Richard Tynan, Moses Whitney, Benjamin Welch, Samuel Webber, Jr. (Mass. Arch. xcvi, 501; xcvii, 63). It is not known where this company served but presumably at Ticonderoga. In addition to these David Philbrook and Ebenezer Preble were "in the army" this year. In June, 1758 the schooner Endeavor of this town was captured by the enemy in the "Bay of Fundee." William Grow, her master, Edward Simpson, James Grant, Alcot Banks and Samuel Adams were taken with her.
The disastrous campaign of Ticonderoga in which our troops were defeated with the loss of two thousand men in July, and during which at least eight of York soldiers died, was the only unfavorable record to be noted in the cam- paign of this year. Three companies had soldiers from York distributed amongst them, viz .: in the company commanded by Capt. Ichabod Goodwin, Samuel Milbury was Lieutenant; Johnson Moulton, Ensign; and David Philbrook, Sergeant. The privates were: James Allen, Joseph Bracey; Abraham Bowden, Ebenezer Bowden, John Dill (died September 29. 1758), John Dailey, Joshua Grant (died September 2, 1758), Joseph Kilgore, Peter Grant, Joshua Linscott, Samuel Spinney, Charles Webber and Samuel Webber. In the company commanded by Capt. Caleb Willard, Joseph Bridges and Joseph Hasley (died August 26, 1758) are credited to York. In the com- pany commanded by Capt. William Osgood are found Thomas Rhodes and James Smith (died August 13, 1758). This company served from the middle of March to the middle of November at Ticonderoga. In 1758 Samuel Milbury was Lieutenant and Johnson Moulton, Ensign, in Ichabod Goodwin's company (Mass. Arch. xcvi, 237).
With one satisfying victory behind them at Louisburg the St. Lawrence was the next objective, and the ancient city of Quebec, crowning its majestic cliff at the junction with the St. Charles, was marked for capture. It represented the key to the French military structure in North America, and while that remained the French menace lingered. With Wolfe was joined Sir Charles Saunders, R.N., and the atmosphere was charged with confidence, as Fort
341
1
HISTORY OF YORK
Niagara was surrendered July 25 and on the twenty- seventh Ticonderoga and Crown Point were reduced by General Amherst. Repetition of the story of the siege of the great fortress of Quebec, the heart of the activities of France for one hundred fifty years, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and the dramatic deaths of Wolfe and its defender, the brave Montcalm, would be beyond the scope of this volume. Here and there the French power was broken on October 8, when Quebec with its garrison of about five thousand men came under the British flag.
This town was represented at this decisive engagement by one of its native sons, Col. Jedediah Preble, in com- mand of a regiment of provincial troops. He took part in the assault and was near General Wolfe when he fell mortally wounded (Willis, History of Portland, Ist ed. ii, 304). As a large part of his regiment was composed of Maine troops it is assumed that one of his companies, under command of Capt. James Gowen, was a part of the besieging army. Thirty of this company came from York and their names are here given as a memorial of their serv- ice: Josiah Beal, Matthew Bright, Josiah Beal, Jr., Obadiah Beal, Jonathan Beal, Joseph Beal, Samuel Cooke, John Cooke, Daniel Carey, John Grover, Edward Harmon, Aaron Ingraham, Samuel Kingsbury, Joshua Lord, Joshua Moore, George Moore, Thomas Moulton, Joshua McLucas, Thomas Oliver, Samuel Parker, Joseph Rounds, Ebenezer Smith, Dependence Stover, Richard Tynan, Moses Whitney, Benjamin West and Samuel Webber, Jr. (Mass. Arch. xcvi, 501; xcvii, 63; xcviii, 437).
The rest of this campaign consisted of mopping up the scattered garrisons occupied by the French on our fron- tiers, or keeping a skeleton army of occupation in charge of the captured territory. This service, while not so spec- tacular, was of importance, and troops from York con- tinued to do this necessary duty for several years. In 1760 Capt. Johnson Moulton commanded a company at the siege of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, which had many York soldiers in it. Those which have been pre- served include the following names: Dummer Sewall, Lieutenant; John Bradbury, Lieutenant; Benjamin Dun- ning, Samuel Beal, James Allen and James Dillaway, Sergeants; Ebenezer Preble and Joshua Linscott, Cor- porals; and Napthali Harmon, Drummer. The privates
342
YORK IN THE WARS AGAINST CANADA
were Nathaniel Abbott, Samuel Adams, Samuel Adams, Jr., David Averill, Aaron Banks, James Baldwin, Joseph Baker, Samuel Beal, William Beal, Benjamin Beal, Josiah Black, William Bracey, Benjamin Bracey, Richard Brawn, Joseph Bracey, Joseph Bracey, Jr., Samuel Bracey, Solomon Brawn, John Bridge, Joseph Dill, Ebenezer Grant and Benjamin Goodwin (Mass. Arch. xcviii, 363). This muster roll is imperfect as the subsequent sheet is missing. William Lewis of this town, attached to. Capt. John Small's company was in service this year and the following list of soldiers invalided home from Albany con- tains the following from York: Abraham Nowell of Moul- ton's company and these from Captain Wentworth's : John Parker, John Chapman, John Furlund, Thomas O'Bryan, Moses Welch, Daniel Crosby and Corp. Samuel Grover (Mass. Arch. xcviii, 353). Capt. John Wentworth's com- pany contained, in addition to the above, the following soldiers of York remaining in active service in January 1761: Thomas Moody, Lieutenant; Thaddeus Trafton, Ensign; Joseph Allen, Sergeant (deceased since last return) ; Charles Trafton, Sergeant. The privates were: Joseph Allen, Jr., Timothy Crosby, Simpson Grover, John Heaton, James Oliver (deceased since last return), Jonathan Sar- gent (minor), Joshua Trafton, Samuel Tripe, Curtis Thompson, Jotham Trafton (minor), Moses Welch, Jr., and Gideon Whitten (minor).
Capt. Johnson Moulton was transferred with his com- mand to Halifax for garrison duty this year and a letter from him to Lieut. James Sayward is here inserted as an intimate picture of contemporary life in barracks:
To Lieut. James Sayward att Old York
Halifax, November 27, 1761.
Sr. I wood aquaint you that their is orders for most of the Regtm. to Be discharged this Winter or as soon as transports comes from New York. So I wood advise you to not Be in a hurry to come to the Regment Before for there orders from Col. Thwing, or from me for I don't know Bout I shall stay as thear is three Capt. too Lieut. seven Subs, Eighteen enCampheners (?), tow hundred and forty Privates to stay as it is not settled yet, I cant say hou stays or hou Coms hom. JOHNSON MOULTON
P.S. All frends are well at Present at this Place and I hope this Line will find you so at hom and al frends at hom.
I will Right to you as soon as the fewd is Seteld. Due Be Kind enough to Right to me the first oportunety.
Liut. Bean is very ill. My Copt. to Mr. Bradbury
343
HISTORY OF YORK
Accompanying this letter was an order to Lieutenant Sayward, as one of the recruiting officers, to proceed to Castle Williams to communicate with Captain Gowen and Ensign Lane by sending one of his three recruits in York, Charles Hutchins, Jacob Boston or Richard Banks, as messenger to deliver letters (Sayward Family, p. 55). James Sayward, who had been at Crown Point in 1760 as Lieutenant under Capt. John Bradbury, was commis- sioned by Gov. Francis Bernard as Captain of a company of foot in Col. Jonathan Hoar's Regiment, on May 16, 1762 and was on duty with it at Halifax during most of this year. The following men from this town were attached to it: Thomas Trafton, Lieutenant; James Dillaway and James Allen, Sergeants. The privates were Josiah Beal, Josiah. Dill, Edmond Bridges, William Babb, Josiah Bracey, Samuel Bracey, Joseph Bradbury, Daniel Brag- don, Zachariah Bragdon, Richard Banks, Jacob Boyden, Arthur Dilloway, Amaziah Goodwin, Martin Grant, Ebenezer Grant, Samuel Grover, Benjamin Grover and Charles Hutchins.
Capt. Johnson Moulton continued on duty this year with his company, of which Abraham Linscott was Lieu- tenant. He had the following men from this town as pri- vates: Moses Banks, Samuel Bridges, Joseph Burdeen (son of William), Joseph Bracey, William Bracey, Solomon Brawn, John Daley, Peter Donfee, John Doyle, Richard Evans, Joseph Foster, Ebenezer Flood, Joshua Grant, Napthali Harmon, Samuel Lord, Daniel Ramsdell, John Ryan, Josiah Stover, Matthew Webber, Joshua Whitten, Gideon Whitten and Benjamin Welch.
In 1763 the company of Capt. James Gowen con- tinued in occupation duty with John Adams as Lieutenant; Samuel Rounds, Ensign; Samuel Beal, Sergeant; and John Black, Corporal. Samuel Bridges, Benjamin Beal, Rich- ard Brawn, Joseph Bradbury, Josiah Black, and Moses Banks (son of Joshua) were privates. This muster roll is incomplete (Mass. Arch. xcvii, 63).
Capt. Johnson Moulton, still on garrison duty in 1763 with his company to which the following men from York, in addition to his previous list probably transferred from other companies, were added: Richard Evans, promoted as Sergeant, with Joseph Bradbury, Jacob Burdeen, Samuel Grover, Abiel Goodwin, John Henney, John
344
YORK . IN THE WARS AGAINST CANADA
Hodgdon, Joshua McLucas, Robert Oliver and Samuel Webber as privates (Mass. Arch. xcix, 280).
These comprised all the known York soldiers in this campaign attached to local companies, but the names of Benjamin Foster, Jr., and Ezekiel Foster are recorded as from York in 1758, and James Horn in 1759 and 1760. In 1759 William, son of William Moore, was reported as "wounded." This closes the record of the last war between the French and English on this continent. For eighty-five years the people of this town had been engaged in battling a combination of Europeans and Indians which had smeared the land with the blood of its people and cluttered the terrain with the wrecks of their habitations. Wasted by wars, pestilence and famine these cruel appeals to the arbitrament of the sword were now at an end.
345
CHAPTER XXX THE FRENCH NEUTRALS
"I know not if the annals of the human race keep the record of sorrows so wantonly inflicted, so bitter and so perennial as fell upon the French inhabitants of Acadia." - George Bancroft.
This town furnished a local background as its share in one of the romantic incidents of Colonial days, as well as one of the blackest chapters in the history of English gov- ernment on this continent. This story carries with it the coloring of Longfellow's "Evangeline," if not some of the actual tragedy delineated in his famous poem. The action centers around the conquest of the French settlements in Acadia in which soldiers from this town lent their aid, and Parson Moody his prayers. When the fortress of Louis- burg fell in 1745 to the victorious troops under Sir Wil- liam Pepperrell, it left the surrounding territory in Nova Scotia peopled with Frenchmen loyal to the lilies of France, who were not subject to the jurisdiction of this fortress. By the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, ratified Octo- ber 7, 1748, hostilities between England and France came to an end for the time being. Each crown surrendered to the other all territorial conquests and all existing prisoners. The island of Cape Breton on which Louisburg was situated was thus repossessed by the French. This result was a source of chagrin to the people of New England, and to the inhabitants of Maine a distinct disappointment after their sacrifices made in the capture of Louisburg. The ancient feud of centuries between France and England was not thus to be permanently settled. It was the dramatic struggle of two European giants for supremacy in the New World. It meant either the domination of the French or English in North America, as it was politically and materially impossible for them to exist in close con- tact with their rival claims put forth by the two sovereigns.
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