USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Washington > History of Washington, New Hampshire, from the first settlement to the present time, 1768-1886 > Part 12
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After the declaration of Peace with England the fol- lowing petition was presented the general court :
*William Scott was of Seotch-Irish deseent. His father, Alexander Scott, was one of the first settlers in Peterborough, moving into that town in 1742. While preparing a permanent settlement he left his wife in Townsend, Massachusetts, where William was born in 1743.' Ile early evinced a military spirit, belonging to Goffe's regiment as early as 1760, being but seventeen years of age. Just previous to the breaking out of hostilities between the colonists and the Mother Country he came to Washington, New Hampshire. How long he may have lived here is uncertain, but it is quite certain he was the first man to enlist from the new town, in the war for American Inde- pendence. He was wounded and taken prisoner at Bunker Hill. Upon the evacuation of Boston he was taken to llalifax, but escaped by undermining the prison walls. He was in Fort Washington at the time of its surrender, and was the only person who escaped, by swimming the Hudson river a mile in width. In 1777 he accepted a captainey in Colonel Cilley's regiment of the New Hampshire line. Ile served under General Sullivan until 1781, when he entered the naval service, where he served until the close of the war. He died at Litchfield, New York, in 1799, aged fifty-six years.
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IIISTORY OF WASHINGTON.
"To His Excellency Meshech Weare, Esq., president of the state of New Hampshire, and to the honorable counsel Senate and House of Representatives in general court as- sembled : The petition of Samuel Lowell of Washington in the county of Cheshire, who was in the service of the continental army in the year 1776, and I, Samuel Lowell, your humble petitioner, was taken prisoner the 14th day of June, in the Kanaday expedition, and was prisoner un- til the 28th day of September following, and at that time was sat on shore at Elizabethtown in the Jerseys, during which imprisonment I was a great sufferer, as your excel- lency and honors may conclude, for I lost a pair of silver shoe buckles, and a pair of knee buckles and a coat and jacket and breeches, and three good shirts, which cost me nine pounds, and when I was sat on shore I had about three hundred miles to travel home and bear my own ex- penses, and was held a prisoner till the last day of Decem- ber, 1776, and never have received no wages from the time I was first taken prisoner. If it may please your excellency and honors, I conclude I ought to be considered and paid as one who has ever served faithfully in the service of the late war, and doubt not your best endeavors for the same, desiring to be under your care and protection, as a willing subject, as under those who can realize in all such cases, and I, your excellency and honors' humble petitioner, as in duty bound shall ever pray.
SAMUEL LOWELL.
Washington, Oct. 6, 1784.
The petitioner was allowed the sum of £6.
In addition to the names already mentioned we are in- formed that the following named inhabitants were soldiers in the Revolutionary war, but I am unable to learn at what period or how long they may have served :
John Atkins, said to have been a substitute for a man named Priest, Jonathan Clark, James Stevens, Abram Shat- tuck, James Faxon, Samuel Tabor, and David Harriman.
CHAPTER XXIII.
WAR OF 1812 AND MEXICAN WAR.
THE WAR OF 1812-14.
F asked the direct question, What was the war of 1812 fought for ? but few persons of the present day would be able to give a direct and compre- hensive answer,-in fact a direct answer could scarce be given to the series of questions which arise. Perhaps the most direct answer that could be given would be that it was caused by a series of insults and aggressions, without apologies or redress, on the part of the Mother Country toward her well disposed but independent daughter, who had outgrown parental authority and could no longer brook intentional insult.
Although the Revolutionary war virtually closed in 1781,-the independence of America was acknowledged by Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Russia, pre- liminary articles of peace were signed with England, and in September of 1783, definite articles of peace were signed by the commissioners of the two nations,-yet the belligerent spirit of the haughty Mistress of the Oceans found expression in many petty insults, which were tol- erated with a spirit of forbearance on the part of the col- onies. In 1806, England began to impress American seamen on the plea of their having been born in that ' kingdom. At the same time Bonaparte issued his fa-
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mous but obnoxious "Berlin decree," crippling American commerce. June 22, 1808, the American frigate, Chesa- peake, was fired into by the British ship of war, Leopard, for refusing to deliver up four men who were claimed as British subjects. Three men were killed and eight wounded. In November of the same year the British government issued the celebrated "Order in council," pro- hibiting all trade with France and her allies. In Decem- ber, Bonaparte issued the retaliatory "Milan decree," for- bidding all trade with England and her colonies. Decem- ber 22, Congress "decreed an embargo," the design of which was to retaliate on France and England for unjust commercial relations. In 1809, Congress repealed the embargo act, but at the same time interdicted all com- mercial intercourse with France or England. In 1810, the hostile decrees of France were revoked and commer- cial intercourse with the United States resumed. But those of England were not only continued but ships of war were stationed near all the principal American ports for the purpose of intercepting our merchantmen, which were captured and sent to British ports as legal prizes. In 1811, a British ship of war was hailed on the Virginia coast by the United States frigate, President ; but, instead of a satisfactory answer, a shot was fired in return. In the engagement that followed eleven men of the enemy were killed and twenty wounded, while on board the President but one man was wounded. June 17, 1812, President Madison issued a proclamation of war against England, and issued orders for the enlistment of 25,000 men, to raise 50,000 volunteers, and to call out 100,000 militia, making an aggregate force of 175,000 men. When we reflect that the census of 1810 gave a white population of only five million eight hundred and sixty- two thousand we can readily believe that the war of 1812 was a subject of much interest to the people of that date.
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May 29, 1812, Governor Langdon of New Hampshire issued orders to detach three thousand five hundred men from the state militia, to be thoroughly organized, armed and equipped for active service at the shortest notice. The declaration of war found New Hampshire militia in good condition. The modern idea, that the militia system is a nuisance which tends to demoralize the people, not prevailing at that day, compliance with the requisitions of the general government were met with commendable promptness. Washington, we have no doubt, furnished her quota of brave men, whose pioneer life in the new town had so admirably fitted them for the hardships to be experienced in a soldier's life. I am sorry to say, that despite my earnest endeavors, I have been unable to gather satisfactory information concerning them. Town records are practically silent, and the adjutant general's reports are very meagre so far as this town is concerned. In fact, much of the early history of the town is tradi- tional so far as records are concerned, and many of the valuable links between the past and the present are lost, and much that we can gather lacks confirmation.
In the roll of the Ist New Hampshire volunteers, com- manded by Col. Aquilla Davis of Warner, we find the names of Samuel Clogston, George and David Leslie, who enlisted April 1, 1813, for sixty days ; but the rolls show that April 4, same year, David Leslie enlisted in the reg- ular army. The volunteer act was repealed, and the Ist regiment virtually disbanded. In the roll of Captain Benjamin Bradford's company we find that Clogston en- listed Dec. 14, 1814, and that George and David Leslie enlisted on the 15th, for the same time and in the same company. In the summer of 1814, the people of New Hampshire became thoroughly alarmed for the safety of their seacoast and the defenses of Portsmouth. Governor Gilman yielding to their desires issued orders for the twenty-three regiments of militia to detail detachments,
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and on the 9th of September issued general orders, re- quiring the whole force to be held in readiness to march at a moment's notice. These orders were sent by express, through the state, and were received with enthusiasm and obeyed with alacrity. Whole companies paraded in read- iness to march, and a draft had to be made of those who should stay at home, rather than of those who should go to the defence of their country. In the roll of the Ist regiment state militia, Col. Natt Fisk commanding, we. find in the company of Capt. Nathan Glidden of Unity, the following names of Washington men who enlisted Sept. 13, 1814, for three months :
Abel Burbank, sergeant, died November 14, 1814.
Jeremiah Parker, private, discharged November 10, 1814.
Thomas Farwell, private, discharged November 10,. 1814.
Aaron Beals, private, discharged November 10, 1814.
Henry Steel, private, discharged November 10, 1814.
Daniel W. Baker, private, discharged November 10, 1814.
Samuel Davis, private, discharged November 10, 1814.
Enoch Philbrick, private, discharged November 10, 1814.
In the 2d regiment New Hampshire militia, Lieut. Col. John Steele commanding, Captain Warner's company, we find the following names who enlisted Sept. 25, 1814, for sixty days : Benjamin French, Edward Lawrence, Otis El- liott, Daniel Severance, Thaddeus Graves, Samuel New- man, Nathan Richardson.
Isaac and Abram French were both in the war of 1812, but I am unable to locate them satisfactorily. Abram French was in Captain Kenney's company, probably in a Massachusetts regiment, as we find no captain by that name on the New Hampshire rolls. Jabez Brainard was
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a drummer. Willard Harris and Charles G. Haynes were in the war of 1812, but I am unable to locate them.
In addition to the names we have herein recorded which we have been able to locate there are doubtless others whose names are lost to us, and probably to all future his- torians. There are also others whom we know to have been worthy soldiers in the war of 1812, whose names we can give, but are unable to locate them in the service. Among these are Jacob Wright, or Uncle Jake, as he was commonly called, a life-long resident of the town, who was much attached to his "ole place," situated in the westerly part of the town. He is well remembered by many now living, and a brief mention will not be out of place in this volume.
The old veteran ever took a lively interest in military affairs long after his exploits with the "British and In- juns," and his account of the battle of Lundy's Lane, in which he participated, is well worth preserving, and I will endeavor to give it as nearly as possible. in his own lan- guage :
"Some of the officers thought it want best to fight and thought the British were too many for us, but Scott said we could whip 'em, so the line was formed, our company, a hundred strong, on the extreme right. Soon the enemy came in sight, and after the first volley our captain told us to load and fire as fast as we could. Then the enemy's bullets began to rattle; the third man from me fell dead at their first volley ; next we heard sharp firing in our rear; the British had got behind us; our officers told them to surrender or we would shoot 'em dead, but they kept on firing. Our captain telled every man to load his piece with four fingers of the best o' powder and two balls and nine buckshot, and take the best aim we could. We wheeled round and give 'em a broadside, and there was no more firing in that direction. We wheeled back into line and I was ramming down a cartridge when a ball hit my
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ramrod and bent it eenmost double ; I took it across my knee and straightened it, put my canteen to my lips and wet my whistle a bit, and if anything fired a leetle faster. We went into the battle a hundred strong, and at next roll call only eight men answered to their names."
Years after he joined the Washington cadets, a com- pany belonging to the 28th regiment New Hampshire state militia, and Colonel Jones in addressing the company said : "I see in your ranks a man who was with Scott at Lundy's Lane-his name is Wright. He was right then, he is right to-day." We are unable to locate him in his service to his country in 1812, but it is quite probable he belonged to a company of picked men known as Scott's cavaliers, that he won his position in that company from being one of the survivors of a party that made a raid into Canada, a distance of three hundred miles, on snowshoes. He was in the service for a period of eighteen months, was discharged at Fort Erie, Lower Canada, and made his way to his home in Washington, New Hampshire, on foot, bringing his musket, pistol and broadsword with him, articles which he clung to with great tenacity till his death. A timely provision of Congress enabled him to spend his last days comfortably.
Ebenezer Blood was another early settler who came to Washington and "staked his claim," and left it for his country's defence. It is presumed that he returned to that part of Hollis, New Hampshire, now known as Pep- perell, the town of his birth, to enlist with the friends of his youth. He was in the service for two years, was in the Canada expedition, and was evidently in the "pioneer corps," as he was engaged in building roads for the army to move on. While in advance of the main body, for this purpose, he with a small party of his comrades were taken prisoners by the enemy and their Indian allies, and marched to a French and Indian settlement in what was then known as the "Shadagee woods," more commonly
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known at this date as the "Adirondack region." Their captors supplied them with a kind of soup of which they partook freely, but could not satisfy themselves what kind of meat it contained. They asked their captors if it was venison, and were told that they would show 'em. At that moment one of the prisoners found a human thumb ! He managed to show it to his comrades without exciting the suspicion of their captors. They realized or feared that captivity meant death, and resolved to escape at all hazards. They succeeded in eluding their guards while sent for wood, and escaped. The weather was cloudy, and they lost their way in the wilderness and nearly starved to death. They found a deserted cabin in the woods containing a few ears of corn ; this they pounded and made into a pudding, and I well remember hearing my grandfather say it was the best meal he ever ate in his life. After his discharge from the army he married and returned to his farm, where he lived until his death, in 1852.
We would gladly record other deeds of suffering and privation could we but obtain the facts. All honor to the brave men whose deeds secured us a priceless heritage, which we have nobly maintained and from which we have wiped its foulest stain.
MEXICAN WAR.
The feuds and quarrels which had long existed between Mexico and the United States terminated in the spring of 1846 in a declaration of war by President Polk. New Hampshire, as in all previous wars, furnished her full quota of brave men and efficient officers, and was fully represented in the 9th and 12th regiments of United States infantry. There was formed from the tall men of the 9th regiment, a company of grenadiers under Captain Bodfish of Maine, and from the short men, a company of riflemen under Captain Rowe of New Hampshire. In
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the latter company Harvey A. French of Washington served as a rifleman. He was a son of Isaac French, and died of yellow fever at Vera Cruz. Only one man, but his service and death were links in the grand chain of events which has placed Washington on a par with any town of which the Granite State can boast. She may well be proud of her title, the patriotism of her people, and the unswerving loyalty of her soldiers.
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CHAPTER XXIV.
WAR RECORDS FROM 1862 TO 1865.
RECORDS OF THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
HE first intimation of the late unpleasantness we find upon the records of the town are several certificates of disability, entered by some of our hitherto stalwart citizens.
Under date of August 8, 1862, a call for a town meet- ing, in which were inserted the following articles :
Ist. To choose a Moderator to preside at said meet- ing.
2d. To see if the town will vote to authorize the se- lectmen to pay an additional bounty to men who may hereafter enlist as soldiers from said town in the volun- teer service of the United States ; if so, how much.
In the records of said meeting we find the following :
Voted to pay an additional bounty of one hundred dol- lars to each volunteer after he is mustered into the United States service, till the quota in this town is filled, provided it is done before a draft is made.
Under date of Sept. 22, another meeting was called, in the warrant of which is inserted the following article :
To see if the town will vote to pay any resident who has or may hereafter enlist for the term of nine months in the service of the United States, until our quota is filled, the sum of fifty dollars in addition to the sum al- ready voted.
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And in the records we find that the article was adopted. We also find recorded the following votes :
Voted, To pay Calvin L. Howe and Charles S. Bowker $ 100 cach, provided they are mustered into the service as residents of this town.
Voted, To pay Hezekiah M. Severance the sum of $100.
Under date of August 26, 1863, we find the following article :
To see if the town will adopt the provisions of an act, passel June session, 1863, authorizing cities and towns to aid the families of drafted men or their substitutes. Also an article to see if the town will vote to raise a sum not exceeding $300 to be paid to each drafted man in said town, who shall be considered by the board of enrollment qualified to serve in the army of the United States ; also to transact any other business deemed proper when met.
And the records show that both articles were adopted. It appears that our townsmen were becoming skilled in the art of calling meetings, for we find a call for another meeting under date of Sept. 12, 1863, in which is the fol- lowing article :
To see if the town will vote to raise a sum not exceed- ing $300, to be paid to each drafted man in said town, or his substitute, after he shall have been mustered into the United States service ten days.
Second Article. Also authorize the selectmen to bor- row money on the credit of the town to pay the same.
Third Article. Also to see if the town will appoint a committee to procure substitutes for men that are drafted to serve in the United States army.
Second article adopted, third dismissed.
December 5, 1863, another meeting was called, and the second article in the warrant was as follows :
To see if the town will vote to raise a sum of money to encourage volunteer enlistments, to be paid to volunteers
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when they are mustered into the United States service, until our present quota is filled ; also to authorize select- men to borrow money on the credit of the town to pay the same.
The following vote was passed :
Voted, That the selectmen be authorized to borrow a sum of money not exceeding $5000, and choose an agent to act in conjunction with the recruiting officer to procure volunteers to fill our quota, and the sum to be paid to each recruit to be left discretionary with the agent, not to exceed $500.
Chose Martin Chase, agent, and voted to adjourn the meeting till Dec. 26, 1863.
Met according to adjournment, and voted that the se- lectmen be authorized to borrow $1000 on the credit of the town in addition to the sum already voted for.
Voted, That the agent be authorized not to exceed the sum of $ 600, and if he cannot procure volunteers for that sum, that he pay the commutation fee out of the treasury for the ten men already called for.
The eleventh article in the warrant for the annual town meeting March 8, 1864, was as follows :
To see if the town will vote to appoint an agent to fill the present quota ; also authorize the selectmen to bor- row money on the credit of the town to pay the same.
But the article was dismissed. The folly of thus dis- missing such business was made apparent, for we find a meeting called April 7, in which is found the following article.
To see if the town will vote to appoint an agent to fill the present called for quota, or any quota that may be called for during the year.
3d. To see if the town will vote to have the agent pay each drafted man, substitute or volunteer, a sum of money according to the laws of the state, and authorize the se-
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lectmen to borrow money on the credit of the town for the same.
The articles were adopted and James Barney was chosen agent for the year to fill the present or any other quota.
Voted, To pay $300 to each drafted man, substitute or volunteer, in ten days after he shall have been mustered into the United States service, and authorize the select- men to borrow money on the credit of the town to pay the same.
Another warrant was issued and a meeting was called June 15, 1864; the second article was as follows :
To choose a committee whose duty it shall be to fill all vacancies that now exist or that may hereafter exist in the quota of said town in the United States army, at the ex- pense of said town.
3d. To transact any other business in relation to said town's quota, or in relation to its army affairs.
But the town voted to dismiss both articles and ad- journed until July 4. There is no record of its meeting according to adjournment, but we find a warrant issued for another meeting to be held July 27, 1864.
2d Article. To see what action the town will take to furnish men to be accounted for on the quota of the town under the next call by the President of the United States for volunteers for the United States army.
3d. To see what action the town will take in regard to furnishing men to be accounted for on the quota of the town in any call now made or hereafter to be made by the President of the United States for volunteers for the United States army.
4th. To see how much money the town will raise by loan or taxation to meet the expenditures which may be rendered necessary to carry into effect the action the town may take on the two preceding articles.
The records for the meeting are as follows :
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Voted, To act on the second, third and fourth articles together, and the following resolutions were adopted :
Resolved, That the town will pay a sum not exceeding $1000, by way of bounty, for each volunteer who may en- list or be accredited to fill the quota of this town under the next (present) call of the President of the United States for troops, and that the selectmen be authorized to borrow sufficient money on the credit of the town for that purpose.
Resolved, That upon the issue of another call by the President for troops, the selectmen, as soon as possible thereafter, shall ascertain the quota of this town, that they be instructed to co-operate with the agent appointed by the general government to recruit the quota of the town of Washington, and that they proceed forthwith to pro- cure volunteer recruits to fill said quota, to pay out the money for such recruits, to take the proper vouchers and see that the interests of the town are protected.
The foregoing resolutions were evidently intended to "settle the hash," but we find as early as September 5, that another was called, with the following (second) ar- ticle :
To see what sum of money the town will vote to raise by loan or taxation and pay to each person who has been an inhabitant of said Washington for three months, and who has heretofore enlisted or may hereafter enlist and be mustered into the service of the United States to fill the quota of said Washington under the last call of the President for 500,000 troops. The following resolution was submitted by Daniel L. Monroe for action upon the second article in the warrant :
Resolved, That the selectmen be authorized to borrow on the credit of the town a sum of money not exceeding $ 2000 to each man for one year, and to appropriate the same as a bounty to those persons who have for three months or more been inhabitants of this town, and who
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have heretofore enlisted or may hereafter enlist and be mustered into the service of the United States to fill the quota of this town under the last call of the Presi- dent of the United States for 500,000 more troops, and that the selectmen be instructed to pay to each of said volunteers so mustered into the service of the United States the sum of $2000 until the said quota is full, with the state bounty assigned to the town.
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