USA > Maine > The history of Maine, from the earliest discovery of the region by the Northmen until the present time; including a narrative of the voyages and explorations of the early adventurers, the manners and customs of the Indian tribes, the hardships of the first settlers, etc > Part 37
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blew up the fort, and fled back into the country. The British took undisputed possession. One of the generals then, with six hundred men, crossed the bay and captured Belfast. They plundered the unfortunate town, and returned to Castine. This was the second time this quiet village had been ravaged by this British soldiery. Their first visit was in 1780, when their brutal treatment drove the inhabitants into the woods.
The fleet ascended the bay and river until the ships were within about fifteen miles of Bangor. They cast anchor near Hampden Village, and landed a strong force. The Hampden militia made a feeble resistance, but were soon dispersed by the fire of the British regulars. The conflict of an hour placed Hampden at the mercy of the enemy. They plundered the houses and the stores, killed the cattle, treated the most prom inent citizens with shameful abuse, burned several vessels, and spared others by extorting a bond of twelve thousand dollars. The loss which the little village of Hampden experienced from
1 The British claimed all the islands in Passamaquoddy Bay as within their boundary line.
2 It is certain that the forces consisted of the Sixty-second and Ninety-eighth Regiments, two rifle companies of the Sixtieth Regiment, and a detachment of royal artillery.
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this raid was estimated to amount to forty-four thousand dollars. A committee of the citizens waited upon the British commander, Capt. Barrie, and implored him to treat the community with more humanity. He angrily replied : -
" Humanity ! I have none for you. My business is to burn, sink, and destroy. Your town is taken by storm. By the rules of war we ought to lay your village in ashes, and put its inhabitants to the sword. But I will spare your lives, though I mean to burn your houses."
An order came from the more merciful British commander at Castine, Gen. Sherbroke, not to burn the houses. The vessels again spread their sails to ascend the river, while two-thirds . of the troops marched along by land. No terms were allowed to Bangor but unconditional surrender. The ships anchored at the mouth of the Kenduskeag. A few Congreve rockets were thrown over the village, as an intimation of the doom which awaited the citizens should they attempt any resistance.
The best buildings in the place were taken as barracks for the soldiers. All public property was seized. One hundred and ninety-one of the principal men were compelled to sign a . document declaring themselves prisoners of war, and stipulating not to serve against the British Government until exchanged.
But little respect was paid to private property. Many stores were plundered ; and several vessels were saved from the flames only by giving a bond to the amount of thirty thousand dollars, that four, which were on the stocks, should be delivered at Castine. Fourteen vessels were burned, mostly on the Brewer side of the river ; and six were carried to Castine.1 It was esti- mated that the losses at Bangor amounted to forty-five thou- sand dollars.
After a stay of about thirty hours in Bangor, the fleet de- scended the river to Frankfort. Here they took from the people
1 In this case, as in most other narratives of deeds of violence, there is some slight diversity in the details. There is, however, here no question in regard to the general and important facts. The narrative, as we give it, is probably as accurate as can now be ascertained. Williamson gives the following summary: "Burnt, the brig 'Caravan,' 'Neptune's Barge,' 'Thinks I to Myself,' 'Eunice and Polly,' 'The Gladiator,' 'The Three Brothers,' the sloop 'Ranger,' three un- launched vessels in Brewer, and one in Bangor. There were also three others in the harbor that were destroyed: fourteen in all."- Williamson, vol. ii. p. 648.
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forty oxen, one hundred sheep, and an indefinite amount of poultry. On the 7th, the ships returned from this marauding excursion to Castine.
The inhabitants of the Kennebec valley were terror-stricken. It was apprehended that the same fleet would visit their river with the same destruction. The whole surrounding region was kept for a time, in a state of great alarm. Wiscasset was menaced ; and the militia from a region of nearly thirty miles around flocked to its defence.
The region between Passamaquoddy Bay and the Penobscot River had passed under the control of the English. Castine was made a port of entry. Several war-vessels guarded the harbor, and two thousand two hundred troops were placed there in garrison. The British commander organized a provincial government for the territory. All the male inhabitants over sixteen years of age were compelled to take the oath of alle- giance to the British king. A custom-house was opened at Hampden for the introduction of British goods.
Castine became quite a gay resort for the officers of the British army and navy. A temporary theatre was opened, and there were music and dancing. Many of the officers were gentle- men by birth, culture, and instinctive sentiment. On the 11th of February, 1815, news reached our country that peace was established by the treaty of Ghent, which was signed on the 24th of December, 1814. The glad tidings were received with every demonstration of joy, throughout the whole country. The British troops evacuated Castine on the 25th of April, after an encampment there of eight months.
War is always demoralizing. The two great vices which this war augmented throughout Maine were intemperance and pro- faneness. But Maine sustained no diminution in her population. The loss experienced from the casualties of war was more than made up by immigration. In 1815 Woodstock was incorpo- rated. Twelve new towns were organized in the year 1816. These were, Kingfield, Moscow, Wales, Greenwood, Weld, Guilford, Cherryfield, Dexter, North Hill, Brooks, Corinna, and Ripley.
There were now two hundred and twenty-one towns in the
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State. The whole number of legal voters was thirty-seven thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight. The following ques- tion was submitted to the people, convened in their several towns and plantations, -
" Is it expedient that the District of Maine be separated from Massachusetts, and become an independent State ?" 1
The unexpected result of this vote was, 11,969 yeas, and 10,347 nays. A convention was chosen to assemble in the meeting-house at Brunswick, count the votes, and, if a majority of five to four were found in favor of separation, to appoint a committee to draft a constitution. Though the majority was less than the statute required, the convention declared the vote to be in favor of an independent State, and chose two com- mittees ; one to draft a constitution, and one to apply to Con- gress for admission into the Union. A large minority protested against these measures ; and the General Court, being then in session, disapproved of the illegal decision, and dissolved the convention.
There arose at this time what was called the " Ohio fever." Hundreds were seized with the almost insane desire to emigrate to Ohio. The journey, generally taken in wagons covered with canvas, was long, expensive, and exhausting. Often the suffer- ings by the way were very severe. The flat, rich, alluvial plains of Ohio seemed to be covered with a malarious atmosphere. Whole families often wilted down together, now shaking with exhaustive chills, and again burning with fever. Many mourned the day in which they departed from the healthy, invigorating breezes of Maine. But return was impossible. Their means were entirely exhausted. It is estimated that Maine lost between ten and fifteen thousand inhabitants by this sad infat- uation.
There was a dispute respecting the north-eastern boundary of the State, which subsequently came near involving us in another war with England. There was but one town, Brooks-
1 Such is the form of this question, as given by the accurate Mr. Williamson. The form suggested by the General Court was, "Shall the Legislature be requested to give its consent to the separation of the District of Maine from Massachusetts. and the creation of said district into a separate State?"
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ville, incorporated in the year 1817; but the next year seven were established, - China, Monroe, Perry, Mexico, Dennysville, Swanville, and Jackson.
The Indian tribes had dwindled almost to extinction. Of the Penobscot Indians but about two hundred and fifty remained. Two-thirds of these were women and children. They had become a dispirited, humiliated, and inefficient people, supported mainly by charity. Quite readily they relinquished their claim to all the extensive territory still recognized as theirs, for four townships, each six miles square, and for a yearly contribution of five hundred bushels of corn, fifteen barrels of flour, seven of pork, one hogshead of molasses, a hundred yards of broad- cloth, fifty blankets, a hundred pounds of gunpowder, four hundred of shot, one hundred and fifty of tobacco, six boxes of chocolate, and fifty dollars in silver.
Henceforth the Indians cease to be of any consideration in the history of the State. The dwindling families became pub- lic paupers ; and now probably not a single full-blooded Indian can be found in all the wide realms of Maine, over which, two centuries ago, they roamed in almost undisputed power. In the year 1819, another effort was made for separation. Seven- teen thousand and ninety-one votes were cast. Of these but seven thousand one hundred and thirty-two were nays. A committee of thirty-three, selected from each county, was chosen to report a constitution. John Holmes, one of the most dis- tinguished sons of Maine, was chairman. This document was submitted to the people, and ratified by a large majority of votes.
Gov. Brooks announced the event in his message to the Gen- eral Court, in January, 1819. After alluding in almost affec- tionate terms to the harmony which had so long prevailed between Massachusetts and her foster-child, he added, -
" But the time of separation is at hand. Conformably to the memorable act of June 19 last, the sixteenth day of March next will terminate for- ever the political unity of Massachusetts proper and the District of Maine; and that District, which is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, will assume her rank as an independent State in the American confederacy."
CHAPTER XXIII.
PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
William King - William D. Williamson -The Maine of Half a Century Ago - A Journey to Boston - Succeeding Governors - The Aroostook War- Origin of the Difficulty - Warlike Measure- Interesting Incidents - The Truce - Final Settlement.
T' THE first governor of Maine was William King. He is often spoken of as " the first and best of our governors." He was born in Scarborough, in the year 1768 .. Native strength of mind and elevated character supplied the place of a liberal education. He was one of the most prominent in advocating the separation. With superior business qualifications, he be- came opulent, and when elected he was a prosperous merchant in Bath. He resigned the office upon being appointed one of the commissioners of the National Government on the Spanish claims.
The remainder of the term Mr. William D. Williamson, Pres- ident of the Senate, became acting governor. Mr. Williamson became the author of the voluminous and admirable history of the State, which will ever secure to him the gratitude of the sons of Maine. One of the first acts of the Legislature was the adoption of a State seal. The moose, the noblest animal in our forests, and the majestic pine-tree, the most valuable of our timber, became the central figures. An anchor and a scythe, as the emblems of commerce and agriculture, were placed upon either side. Above, the north star shines, signifying the posi- tion which Maine occupies in the constellation of the States. Two figures, representing a sailor and a farmer, are conspicuous. Over all is the Latin word " Dirigo " (I lead).
The Maine of half a century ago was very different from the
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Maine of the present day. Before the Revolution there was not a four-wheeled passenger carriage in the State. Two- wheeled chaises were not introduced into Portland until 1760. They were then not in common use, but were articles of luxury which were brought only on festive occasions. It was about the year 1800 when the first four-wheeled carriage was seen in the streets of Augusta. Men and women generally journeyed on horseback. The women sat on pillions behind the men. The horse-block, for mounting, was a very important adjunct to the churches:
It was deemed a memorable event when, in the year 1787, a stage-coach was established to run between Portland and Portsmouth. The line was extended to Augusta in 1806. At a very early hour in the morning the stage left Augusta, and in four or five hours, if the travelling were good, reached Bruns- wick to breakfast. At Freeport they dined ; worn and weary they reached Portland in the evening to lodge for the night. Starting the next morning at an early hour, the coach stopped at Kennebunk for breakfast, and Portsmouth for dinner, and lodged at Newburyport the second night. At two o'clock the next morning the coach again started, breakfasted in the early dawn at Salem, and reached Boston about noon of the third day. In the year 1823, Capt. Seward Porter commenced run- ning a steamboat, " The Patent," from Portland to Boston. Five passengers were considered a very goodly company. The boat was about a hundred tons burden. In the years 1823 and 1824, queer looking little steamboats, with stern-wheels, began to run up the Kennebec River.
The second governor of Maine was Albion K. Parris. He was elected in the year 1822. A farmer's son, born in Hebron, Me., he worked on the fields of his father until he was four- teen years of age. At fifteen he entered Harvard College. At twenty-six he was chosen representative in the national Con- gress ; at thirty he was appointed judge of the United States Dis- trict Court ; and when but thirty-three years old he was elected governor. He was a man of great energy, of indomitable per- severance, and of great administrative ability. His unblemished integrity and courteous manners secured the affection and respect of all who knew him.
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Enoch Lincoln succeeded Gov. Parris in 1827. He was a very able man, a well-read lawyer, and had enjoyed the educa- tional advantages of a seat in the national Congress. His mes-
STATE HOUSE, AUGUSTA, ME.
sages were much admired for the comprehensive views they presented in language remarkably terse and expressive.
Jonathan G. Hunton, of Readfield, succeeded Mr. Lincoln. Under his administration Sebago Pond was connected by a
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canal with Casco Bay. In the year 1831, Samuel E. Smith was chosen governor, and was re-elected in 1834. During Mr. Smith's term of office the seat of government was removed from Portland to Augusta. The State House, built of the finest granite, cost about a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Half of this sum was paid from the proceeds of the sale of ten acres of land. It is a beautiful building ; but, unfortunately, it is never approached from its front, and the side views are not imposing.
Robert P. Dunlap, of Brunswick, succeeded Mr. Smith in the chair of chief magistrate. His irreproachable character and suavity of manners rendered him very popular, and he continued to fill the responsible office for four years. Under his adminis- tration our first scientific survey was undertaken, and the admir- able asylum for the insane was instituted at Augusta. In 1838, Edward Kent of Bangor was chosen governor. He was suc- ceeded in 1839 by John Fairfield of Saco.
The question respecting our north-eastern boundary had for some time been attracting much attention. It soon culminated in a series of measures which threatened to involve the United States in another war with Great Britain. These events demand some minuteness of narrative.1
What was called the Aroostook War was quite a memorable event in the history of Maine. By the treaty of 1783, at the close of the Revolutionary struggle, one-half of the St. John's River belonged to Maine ; but, at the close of the war of 1812, Great Britain claimed the whole, including both banks. There was, at this time, on the north or eastern side of the river, an American settlement of scattered log huts, extending for a dis- tance of nearly twenty miles. The inhabitants were principally of French descent, and had emigrated to that American region when the English took possession of Acadia.2 This plantation had been incorporated as the town of Madawaska, and a repre-
1 For most of the facts of the Aroostook War I am indebted to a lecture delivered in the Representatives Hall in Augusta, by Mr. George J. Varney of Brunswick. Mr. Varney is the author of the admirable "History of Maine for Young People." In this small volume he has, with great skill and accuracy, com- pressed most of the essential facts in the history of the State.
2 Description of New England, by Coolidge and Mansfield, p. 969.
INSANE HOSPITAL, AUGUSTA, ME.
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sentative was sent to the Legislature of Maine; but the British authorities, in the vicinity, remonstrated against this, sent an armed force, and broke up the meetings.
In June, 1837, Congress sent an officer to Madawaska to take a census of the people, and, at the same time, to distribute the surplus money which had accumulated in the United States treasury. A British constable arrested this agent, and carried his prisoner to the nearest English shire-town. But the sheriff there, alarmed in view of so reckless a procedure, refused to receive the prisoner ; and he returned to Madawaska, and con- tinued to prosecute his mission.
Gov. Harvey of New Brunswick, hearing of the distribution of money to the people, assumed that it was a bribe to induce the inhabitants to continue their allegiance to the United States. He therefore ordered the agent to be re-arrested, and he was lodged in Frederickton jail. Gov. Dunlap, who then occupied the gubernatorial chair of Maine, issued a general order an- nouncing that the soil of our State had been invaded by a foreign power. The militia were therefore called upon to hold themselves in readiness for active service. A flame of indigna- tion swept over the State. A few weeks after, the British authorities, influenced by a message from Pres. Van Buren, set the imprisoned agent at liberty. There had been a great mus- tering of forces on both sides, and many ludicrous events which provoked much ridicule. But both parties wisely decided to refer the question to arbitration, and the Madawaska war was ended.
After the war of 1812 the British claimed the whole of the upper part of the vast valley of the St. John. They demanded all the land above the forty-sixth degree of north latitude, which included about one-third of what was supposed to be the ter- ritory of Maine. The question in dispute was referred to Wil- liam, king of the Netherlands. He decided that the line should run about half way between the boundaries claimed by the two powers, which was a very strange decision. The question sub- mitted to him was, Which of the two boundaries is the one authorized by the treaty ? And he decided in favor of a line which the treaty certainly did not indicate, and which neither
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of the parties had thought of. To enter into the details of this discussion would be very wearisome to the reader.
The people of Maine were indignant at this decision. The national government, anxious to avoid war, generously offered Maine a million acres of land in Michigan, in exchange for the territory she would thus lose. This offer was declined, and prolonged negotiations ensued. Matters remaining unsettled, and there being some indications of an outbreak, Gov. Kent, in 1838, took measures to increase the efficiency of the militia, and Gen. Wool was sent to inspect the fortifications on the Penobscot, the St. Croix, and the Kennebec. The line which Maine claimed by the treaty of 1773 was again surveyed.
The territory thus in dispute became the prey of plunderers. The region of the Aroostook River was robbed of its most valuable lumber. The State Legislature, in secret session, au- thorized Sheriff Strickland to raise a force of two hundred volun- teers, drive off the trespassers, destroy their camps, and seize their teams. The command was placed under Capt. Stover Rines. The first company left Bangor on the 5th of February, 1839, and reached Masardis, then township No. 10, on the 8th. The trespassers, not aware of the force coming down upon them, made a slight show of resistance. The lumbermen and their teams were, however, easily captured.
Capt. Rines advanced to the mouth of the Little Madawas- ka. Here he met with a reverse, was captured with a company of his men, and they were hurried off, in a sleigh, to Frederick- ton jail, in New Brunswick. The sheriff and his forces retreated. The trespassers, much elated, armed themselves, about three hundred in number, and bade defiance to the American author- ities. The sheriff, learning of the capture, retired to Number Ten, and fortified his party, while he repaired as rapidly as pos- sible to Augusta, to report the posture of affairs.
Gov. Harvey, of New Brunswick, issued a proclamation, declaring that British territory had been invaded, and ordering out a thousand of the militia. Affairs now began to assume a very serious aspect.
Immediately, though it was Sunday morning, fifty volunteers set out from Augusta, for the scene of action. At the same
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time Gov. Harvey sent a communication to the governor of Maine, at Augusta, demanding the recall of the American troops from the Aroostook, and announcing that he was instructed, by the British Government, to hold exclusive jurisdiction over the disputed territory, and that he should do so by military force.
This roused to a high pitch the indignation of the people of Maine. The legislature passed a spirited resolve for the pro- tection of the public lands, and appropriated eight hundred thousand dollars to that purpose. A draft was also ordered for ten thousand three hundred and forty-three men from the mili- tia, to be ready for immediate action. Early Monday morning, the unwonted sound of the clarion of war was heard in the peaceful streets of Augusta, as the troops, by hundreds, then and there were " mustering in hot haste."
Gen. Bachelder was commander of the western division of militia. It was midwinter in Maine, and bitter cold. The regular uniforms afforded no sufficient protection for a winter campaign, through drifted snows and freezing gales, in a region where the mercury often sank twenty-five or thirty degrees be- low zero. Extra garments were speedily supplied, of thick red shirts and pea-green jackets. Within a week ten thousand American troops were either in Aroostook County, or on the march there.
The National Government was roused. Congress passed a bill authorizing the President of the United States, should the governor of New Brunswick fulfil his threat of maintaining exclusive jurisdiction over the territory in dispute, to raise fifty thousand troops for the support of Maine, and appropriating ten million dollars to meet the expense. On the 5th of March, Gen. Scott, with his staff, reached Augusta. He informed the governor that he was " specially charged with maintaining the peace and safety of the entire northern and eastern frontiers." He took quarters at the Augusta House, and immediately en- tered into correspondence with both Gov. Harvey of New Bruns- wick, and Gov. Fairfield of Maine. Having thirty thousand troops whom he could call into the field, he humanely endeav- ored to act the part of a peacemaker. The result was that Gov. Harvey pledged himself, that, in prospect of the peaceful settle-
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ment of the question between the two nations, he would not take military possession of the territory, or endeavor to expel from it the civil posse or the troops of Maine. On the other hand, Gov. Fairfield pledged himself that he would not, without renewed instructions, disturb any of the New Brunswick settle- ments in the Madawaska region. He agreed to withdraw his troops, and leave uninterrupted communication between New Brunswick and Canada.
This settlement brought peace. The prisoners on both sides were set at liberty. In March, the Aroostook region, which had previously formed a portion of Penobscot and Washington Counties, was erected into a new county bearing its original name. It was generally supposed that the prompt military preparation we had made, which gave us unquestionably the command of the position, had great influence with the British authorities in securing a peaceful settlement.
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