USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > The history of Portland, from its first settlement: with notices of the neighbouring towns, and of the changes of government in Maine, Part II 1700-1833 > Part 9
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' This was equal at that time to about one hundred and sixty-five dollars in silver.
2 One of our companies under Capt. Stephen Jones even went to the Pe- nobscot in search of Indians.
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War of 1744. [P. II.
They were seen no more in this neighbourhood during the year, but in the spring of 1746 they came in stronger force and hung round this vicinity the whole season. On the 19th of April, 10 of them appeared at Gorham, where they killed a man by the name of Briant and his four children, and killed or carried away his wife and several other persons. In June they attacked the family of Wescott on Long Creek, killed and scalped two men and took their clothes and three guns ;. this was done by seven Indians, when there were 25 of our soldiers within a gun-shot of the place. A day or two after, an Indian was fired at from Mr. Frost's garrison at Stroudwater, and five days after another was seen near the causway at the foot of Bramhall's hill. These indications of the presence of so subtle and dangerous an enemy, together with the appearance of larger bodies on the coast at Georges and Sheepscot created an unusual alarm among the people, and the inhabitants on the Neck united vigorous- ly in erecting a block-house for the common defence near the spot where the town-hall now stands. They hovered around the town all the summer, seizing every opportunity to plunder property and take captives or destroy life : they became so desperate as even to come upon the Neck after spoil ; in August, one was discovered in Brack- ett's swamp. In the same month one of Mr. Proctor's family and two other persons were killed in Falmouth, and Philip Greeley in North-Yarmouth, where about thirty Indians were discovered. The people here were kept in constant agitation during the season by these repeated depredations ; and the terror was more lively, as it was caused by an enemy who could not be confronted, and whose secret and sudden visitations were marked by desolation and blood.
But this excitement was raised to the highest point of fearful apprehension in the latter part of September, not only here but along the whole coast, by an expected invasion from France. On the 10th of Sept. a French fleet, consisting of eleven sail of the line, with frigates, fire ships and transports, under the command of the Duke d'Anville, containing over three thousand troops, arrived in Nova Scotia, with the avowed purpose of visiting the whole coast of New-England with destruction. On the receipt of this news, the country was aroused to a sense of its danger; 15000 men were in one week, the last of September, marched into Boston for the protection of that place, and the people of Salem, Marblehead and
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War of 1744.
C. 5.]
other towns upon the coast in Massachusetts moved their effects into the country. The alarm extended to this town, and a meeting of the inhabitants was called to consider the expediency of sending away the records and to take other precautionary measures. It was voted to transport the town books to Newbury, and many peo- ple packed up their principal articles to send to a place of safety.1 On the 16th of October a public fast was kept on account of the danger, to pray that it might be averted. But in the midst of this alarm and these preparations, news was received that an epidemic prevailed in the French fleet, that their admiral was dead, and that a violent gale of wind had dispersed the fleet and had destroyed some of the best ships. This was one of the most signal deliveran- ces that New-England had experienced. The French had sent out a powerful armament, well appointed in all respects, breathing out threatenings and slaughters upon the devoted colonies, and nothing apparently, but a succession of the most disastrous circumstances to the enemy, prevented their entire destruction. By an unaccoun- table remissness in the English government, no naval force was sent after the French into these seas, so that our coast was left wholly unprotected by any human arm.
The spring of 1747 witnessed the renewal of Indian hostilities and alarm: in March the inhabitants on the Neck put three swivels into the Rev. Mr. Smith's house, which was used as a garrison. The enemy appeared first in Scarborough April 13, where they kill- ed one man, and the next day they were seen in several places: at Saccarappa they took a man by the name of Knight and his two sons, and in another part of the town the same week they killed a Mr. Elliot and his son, and took one captive. On the 21st of April, a party attacked the family of Mr. Foster, whom they killed, and carried away his wife and six children, and killed several cattle: our people pursued them and reported that they were about fifty in number; the next day Stephen Bailey was fired upon by a party of seven near Long Creek.
These numerous and aggravated attacks aroused the people in
1 In case of attack by his Christian Majesty's fleet our little village did not. mean to surrender without firing a gun, for the town voted on this occasion that the "selectmen apply to Capt. Moses Pearson for the use of his tico great guns, to be placed on Spring Point, and to get four barrels of powder, balls and flints for the use of the town !"
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Volunteers raised. [P. II.
this neighbourhood to adopt some measures of protection. The government, although appealed to by our inhabitants, had provided but one company of fifty men for the defence of this frontier, and thirty of those were stationed at Topsham to guard government timber, while the Indians were hovering over every settlement from Topsham to Wells. In this emergency a company of 26 volunteers was immediately raised in this town, who placed themselves under . the command of Capt. Isaac Ilsley; another was raised in Purpoo- duck and another in North-Yarmouth.1 Capt. Ilsley transported two whale boats to the Sebago pond for the purpose of pursuing them in that direction. These prompt measures had the effect of keeping the enemy at bay, although during the whole summer, the settlements were in a state of feverish excitement." In the latter part of August the arrival of a cartel from Canada with a number of our soldiers at this place intimidated the Indians, so that they re- treated from this quarter of the country, and were no more seen for that season. The next spring they reappeared with an accession of numbers, at Brunswick and North-Yarmouth, and way laid the road even to New-Casco; in which places they killed several persons,. took a number of prisoners, and destroyed many buildings. But in the beginning of July the happy tidings of a suspension of arms in Europe, which resulted in the treaty of Aix la Chapelle, put an end to the destructive warfare in our territory and relieved the people from further apprehension.
The most considerable event of this war, and indeed the greatest - achievement which had taken place at any previous time in the col- on es, was the capture of Louisburg in the Island of Cape Breton,
1 Capt. Ilsley, the first of the name who came here, was a descendant of Wm. Ilsley, who was born in Newbury Eng. in 1608, and emigrated to New- bury in this country about 1634. He was born in Newbury in 1703, was a joiner, and came here about 1735; he and Moses Pearson built a meeting- house in Kittery on a contract in 1726 and '27. After he had been here sev- eral years he built a house at Back Cove, east of Fall brook, which he fitted as a garrison and occupied at the time of his death, and which was taken down a few years since by his grandson Henry Ilsley. He was a bold and enterprising man, and frequently engaged as leader of scouting parties in the dangerous game of pursuing the Indians. He superintended constructing the addition to the meeting-house of the 1st parish in 1759, and built the stee- ple in 1761. He died April 15, 1781, aged. 78. His children were Isaac, Enoch, Jonathan, Daniel, and Prudence married to Simon Gookin. His wife died 1773, aged 70.
2 The Indians this summer were accompanied by some Frenchmen.
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83
Capture of Louisburg.
C. 5.]
June 17, 1745. This was the strongest fortification upon the con- tinent, and was particularly obnoxious to the people of Massachu- setts by the refuge it afforded to those who sought every occasion to disturb their fisheries and interrupt their commerce. The con- quest was accomplished by the New-England militia, consisting of 3600 men, assisted by an English and provincial fleet, and aided by a combination of fortunate circumstances beyond the anticipation of the most sanguine adventurer. The enterprise was a very pop- ular one and soldiers were easily enlisted: the number from Fal- mouth was about fifty, besides those who entered the service and were stationed at other places.1
The news of the capture was received here as in other parts of the colonies with the utmost enthusiasm; Mr. Smith says "we fired our cannon five times and spent the afternoon at the fort rejoicing;"' and again the next day, which was Sunday, he says, " our people on the Neck were again all day rejoicing and extravagantly blew off a vast quantity of powder." The soldiers in our neighbourhood who survived the expedition, petitioned the government for a township of land as a remuneration for their services and sufferings, which . was granted in 1750, and now forms part of the town of Standish; which until its incorporation in 1785, bore the name of Pearson- town.2 Mr. Pearson commanded a company raised principally in
1 Feb. 22, 1745. Mr. Smith says, "all the talk is about the expedition to Louisburg. There is a marvellous zeal and concurrence through the whole country with respect to it: such as the like was never seen in this part of the world."
2 The names of these survivors may be found subscribed to the petition, which was as follows.
'To the Hon. Spencer Phips, Esq. Lieutenant Governor and commander in Chief, in and over His Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, and to the Honorable the Council, and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, January, A. D. 1749.
The petition of us the subscribers humbly sheweth, That whereas, we were in the expedition against Louisbourg and the settlement adjacent, then under the command of the French King, being in said service, not only until but for some considerable time after the reduction thereof, to the obedience of the King of Great Britain, and some of us detained there for the defence of Louisbourg until relieved by his Majesty's troops from Gibraltar, being about sixteen months from the time of entrance into said service, to our arri- val at our respective homes, the fatigue of which service, your Excellency and Honours are well knowing to, and our wages but low while in said ser- vice, and as (many of us) were put out of our usual way of business, it termi- nated very detrimental to us, and as many of us have no lands for settlement nor wherewith to purchase any, Therefore we pray your honours to grant us a township of the contents of six miles square, of some of the unappropriated
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War of 1744. [P. II.
this town, in the expedition,' and after the surrender of the city he was appointed agent for Sir William Pepperell's regiment, and treas- urer of the nine regiments employed in the siege, to receive and distribute the spoils of the victory. The amount of booty divided among the officers and soldiers of the several companies was £3578. 5. 5. old tenor, principally in specific articles, besides about $18000 the proceeds of the sales of captured property-Capt. Pearson remained at Louisburg the remainder of the year 1745 and part of '46, superintending the construction of barracks and a hospital and the repair of the fortifications: and in the spring he was sent home by Gov. Shirley with a plan to procure a frame for additional bar- racks, and lumber to complete the works.2 Several of our people
lands of said Province, somewhere in the county of York, to be settled by your petitioners in such time and under such restrictions as your Excellency and Honours, in your known wisdom, shall see meet to enjoin us, and as your petitioners in duty bound will ever pray.
Moses Pearson, George Knight, Isaac Ilsley, Jacob Clefford, James Spring- er, Jeremiah Springer, Jeremiah Springer, jr. Gamaliel Pote, Vath'l. Ingersoll, Samuel Graves, Ebenezer Gustin, James Gilkey, David Dowty, Benja. Sweet- ser, Jeremiah Pote, Samuel Clark, Thomas Brackett, Elisha Pote, Samuel Lunt, jr. Job Lunt, Samuel Hodgskins, John Clark, John Anderson, Moses Hodgs- kins, Joshua Brackett, Phillip Hodgskins, John Foule, John Robison, Richard ~ Temple, Stephen Clark, John Clark, Jacob True, Josiah Huniwel, Samuel Low- ell, John Owen, jr. Jacob Graffam, Joshua Moody, John Irish, William Reed, Abraham Sawyer, John Roberts, Penivel Berton, George Williams, William Pit- man, John Ayer, Samuel Hlwood.
I George Knight was his Lieutenant. The company was raised in March, 1745. Samuel Waldo was Brigadier General and second in command of the land forces. The chief command was assigned to Wm. Pepperell, who was knighted on the occasion of the success. It was highly creditable to Maine that the two highest officers in this brilliant expedition should have been tak- en from the only two regiments in our territory, Pepperell's and Waldo's.
2 Moses Pearson was born in Newbury in 1697, and was by trade a joiner. He moved here in 1728 or "29, and came at once i to notice by the activity of his mind and the interest he took in the affairs of the town. Within the first ten years of his residence here, he filled the offices of a committee man to adjust the difficulties between the old and new proprietors, town clerk, select- man, and town treasurer. In 1737, '40, and '49, he represented the town in the General Court. In 1760 on the establishment of the county of Cumber- land he was appointed the first sheriff and held the office until 1768: in 1770 he was appointed a justice of the Court of Common Pleas, the duties of which he continued to discharge until the revolution. About 1730, he purchased the land opposite the new Custom house extending to Middle-street of Daniel Ingersoll and built a house there on Fore-street, in which he lived until it was destroyed in the fire of 1775; on his death the property descended to his heirs, in whose possession it now remains ; he was a large proprietor in this town and Standish. He died in 1778 aged 81. His children were Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Eunice, Anne, and Lois ; he left no son to perpetuate his name. These married Benjamin Titcomb, Joseph Wise, Timothy Pike, Dr. Deane, Daniel Dole, and Joshua Freeman.
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War of 1744. 85
died at Louisburg after the surrender, of the camp fever, and others were killed at Menas in an attack on that place in January 1747, by the French and Indians, among whom were Captain Jones and Moses Gilman. Eben'r Hall and Mr. Roberts died at Annapolis about the same time, and in the May following a number of our inhabitants were killed and captured by Indians in an attack on the fort at Pemaquid.1
The pay of the troops in the expedition to Louisburg was, for a captain, in old tenor bills, £18. a month; lieutenant £12, a soldier £5 .: the bounty for enlisting was £4, a month's wages in advance and 20s a week for subsistence. At the same time corn was 30s. a bushel O. T. or 3s. in silver, and flour £10. a hundred pounds, equal to about $9 a barrel in our money. The expense of this ex- pedition to Massachusetts was £178,000 sterling, which was reim- bursed by the English government.
The war had been very prejudicial to our people, in the loss of many lives, the interruption of the lumbering business the principal source of the prosperity of our inhabitants, and the advance in price of all the articles of living. Capt. Pearson in a letter to Governor Shirley July 7 1746, writes : "I find the Indian enemy very busy and bold, so as to put the greater part of our lumber men from their duty in lumbering, to their arms and scouting for the defence of their families, and others taken into the service for Canada." The suspension of hostilities in Europe extended its beneficial influence on this side of the Atlantic, although its full fruits were not gathered until after the peace was concluded in October 1748. As soon as intelligence of the ratification of the treaty reached Boston, Gov. Shirley took measures to communicate with the Indians, and finding them disposed to listen to an accommodation, commissioners were appointed to meet them in this town.2
1 There were sixteen white men in the fort, of whom John and Joseph Cox, Smith, Vincent, Weston, Dyer, Mayo, Cox, and Abner Lowell, were from this town. Abner Lowell and a boy were all that escaped : the five first were killed and three others taken prisoners : Lowell was badly wounded; he was father of Capt. Abner Lowell, who died here in 1828, aged 87, he came from Newbury. His ancestors emigrated from Bristol in England, about 1639.
2 They were Thomas Hutchinson, John Choate, Israel Williams, and James Otis, from Mass. and John Downing and Theodore Atkinson from N. H. The Rev. Wm. Welstead accompanied them as chaplain, and Col. Cotton as clerk. Sir Wm. Pepperell had been appointed at the head of the commission but had sailed for England before the treaty took place.
11
S6
Treaty of Falmouth. [P. II.
The commissioners arrived here on the 28th of Sept. 1749, but were not joined by the Indians until Oct. 14: the conference com- menced the same day in the meeting-house upon the Neck, and was finished on the 16th, when a public dinner was given by the commis- sioners and presents delivered to the Indians. The negotiation was conducted and closed upon the principles of Mr. Dummer's treaty of 1726, and was signed by six chiefs of the Wawenock tribe, eight of the Norridgewock, and five of the Penobscot tribes. The expectation of the treaty had drawn a large number of people into our village, but the long delay in the arrival of the Indians had wearied the patience of the visitors and they had left it before the "treaty commenced. Although the forms of peace were regularly gone through, its spirit did not prevail in the country. Many people in this province and New-Hampshire were smarting under the loss of friends and property, and they could not regard the authors of their sorrows with complacency. In less than two months after the treaty of Falmouth, an affray took place at Wiscasset between the English and Indians, in which one of the latter was killed and two wounded. This unhappy affair produced a strong sensation through- out the eastern country, and although the government did every thing in their power by presents and kind treatment of the Indians, to appease their anger and to conciliate their friendship, they did not succeed in allaying the spirit of revenge that governed these people. Three white persons who were concerned in the affray were arrested and brought to this town and placed under guard, from which however they succeeded in making their escape.1 But they soon afterwards surrendered themselves; one of them, Albee, was tried at York in June 1750 and acquitted ;? the others were removed to Middlesex for trial, and the friends of the deceased were invited to be present; they were however not tried at the time appointed and were subsequently remanded to York for trial, which does not appear ever to have taken place. The acquittal of Albee produced dissatisfaction, it was thought to have been an exercise of compassion charged with deep cruelty to the inhabitants of the frontiers. But so strongly seated was the feeling of resentment against the Indians in the hearts of the people who had long conten-
" Their names were Obadiah Albee and Richard and Benjamin Holbrook.
2 Albee was afterwards convicted of a felonious assault.
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Hostilities Renewed. 87
ded with them for their very existence, that a jury could hardly be found to convict a white person of murder for killing one of them. -
The French fostered the uneasiness among the Indians which grew out of this state of things; in August 1750, the Penobscot tribe was in arms and the French were discovered furnishing them with supplies; the next month they were joined by Indians fromn Canada, and a general alarm prevailed in all our towns at the threat- ening aspect of affairs. Within a few days parties of the enemy were seen in Gorham, Windham and Falmouth; one hundred men were raised here and in Scarborough to scout from Saco to Georges, and Capt. Ilsley, ready to take the lead on occasions of this sort, marched the first company of scouts into the woods in September. These prompt measures had the effect of protecting our settlements for that season, but early the next spring the enemy was found lurk- ing again in our vicinity, which, accompanied by the sudden revolu- tion in the circulating medium of the country occasioned by calling in the paper, and a severe epidemic which was raging violently in this province, produced incalculable distress among our people.1 The inhabitants of this town suffered but little from the Indians this season, although they appeared at different points of our territory during the spring and summer. One man only, Job Burnell, was killed at New-Casco. The regiment commanded by Col. Ezekiel Cushing of Cape-Elizabeth, furnished fifty men for the service, and in the course of the summer, the government having made arrange- ments to enter into negotiations with the Indians, a new draft of 100 `men was made from the same regiment to escort and protect the commissioners.2 The peace of 1749 was confirmed at St. Georges Aug. 3, 1751, by some of the tribes, and a temporary cessation of hostilities followed. Conferences were also held in 1752 and 1753 with the Indians, who continued in a very unquiet state. The advanc- ing settlements of the white men were found to restrict that unbound-
1 Mr. Smith's Journal notices these facts as follows, "1751, April 24, It is a melancholy time as ever the country knew, Ist on account of the great con- vulsion and perplexities relating to a medium, some towns not having raised any money for public taxes, nor chosen officers. 2d, with respect to a war with the Indians. 3d, the epidemic fever. 4th, the coldness and wetness of the spring."
The fever prevailed throughout this town and a number of persons especial- ly children died of it in October and November 1750.
2 Smith's Journal.
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SS
Peace confirmed. [P. II.
ed freedom with which they had roamed over the forests and fre- quented the waters. The French had perceived this restlessness, and had used every art to increase it and give it a sure and fatal di- rection against the English. At the conference in 1753 at St. Georges, the Indians admitted that they had received a letter from the French missionary stimulating them to adopt some measures in defence of their rights and their territory.
After the peace of 1748, the two great European powers, who were struggling for supremacy in North America, having perceived the growing importance of the immense dominions they possessed on this side the Atlantic, each turned its attention to secure its pow- er and to prepare for future difficulties. Commissioners had been appointed in 1749 by France and England to adjust the boundaries between their respective possessions, who after numerous sessions and elaborate discussions at Paris, were unable to arrive at any sat- isfactory result. The French claimed the Kennebec river as the western boundary of their province of Acadia, and erected forts in that province to secure a passage over land to Quebec. They also strengthened their positions in the rear of the English settlements, and erected new forts even upon the territory of the English Colo- nies. Their design was to connect their provinces of Louisiana and Canada by a chain of ports which might enable them to keep up a communication, and while they secured them from invasion to be ready to seize any favourable opportunity to pursue offensive opera- tions against their ancient enemy. It may easily be imagined that these hostile manifestations could not be viewed with indifference by a nation so jealous as the English, and loud complaints of these encroachments were made on both sides of the Atlantic. But the French although they amused the English a while, with the hope of giving them satisfaction, yet their object being solely to gain time, no reparation was made or intended. It was therefore evident that resort must be had to arms. To meet this emergency the British gov- ernment recommended a convention of delegates from the several colonies with a view to produce unity of action and a more power- ful combination of their forces. The meeting took place at Albany June 19, 1754, and was one of the most respectable assemblies, and as the prototype of those of the revolution, the most important in its consequences, of any which had been convened on this conti-
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War of 1754.
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nent. It was one object of this meeting to conciliate the western Indians, on whom the French had long been practising their seduc- tions, but although large presents were distributed, the measure entirely failed ; the French had secured an influence over the wandering tribes which could not be dissolved by any art which the English were able to use.
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