USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Hampton Falls > History of the town of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire : from the time of the first settlement within its borders, 1640 until 1900 > Part 24
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22 A cloudy. rainy morning, and looks like a rainy day. Its re- ported that we are to go to Fort Detroit & that we shall have to go 600 miles through the woods on foot, and that 12000 are to go. and carry baggage. Gen. Poor & Col. Cilley have gone to headquarters to get off if possible. Send us to our own State.
23 At 5 A. M. marched from Washington 10 miles & then halted 1/2
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HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
hour. 7 P. M. Got into Newtown Court House, & lodged in the Court House. Drew 1/2 ration of fresh beef, and one jill of whiskey, Butter & very heavy wheat bread, Cyder, three dollars, 5 qts rum, bread and milk. A very warm day, 28 miles this day.
24 A fine elear day but very warm. Marched 1/2 after sunrise 10 miles & halted three hours. Very warm day. Then marched to an Arabian town by the name of Hope. Very civil people who live alto- gether almost.
25 The drums beat at sunrise. We marched off the ground. A very hot day. HIalted in the woods 5 miles from the river, & drew overalls and received an order to mareh tomorrow only between day and sunrise.
26 A cloudy day. Marched at sunrise to the river and crossed im- mediately to Eastown. Capt. Chase gave me a letter from my brother. The Camp is a little below the town. Drew tents. Crossed at S A. M. Looks like rain. Orders to clean guns, wash &e. This is a pleasant village laying on a point of land about 70 miles from Philadelphia. One Regt. of Jersey troops eame in today.
27 A Cloudy day, and looks like rain. Nothing new 6 .1. M. Marehed for Cilleys Regt. To march tomorrow morning at 7 A. M.
28 A elondy day, looks like rain.
29 Cloudy in the fore part of the day. Afternoon clear and very warm.
30 A Cloudy morning & continued all day. At 11 A. M. Order for to turn out at 3 P. M. for meeting, and paraded accordingly. Marehed to the church with the Jersey Brigade. A handsome Beating organ. Where we had the 10th chapter of Proverbs, & 36th verse, But more partieular those who hate me love death. The time of service was one hour. Marched back again to camp, and dismissed. Order that no soldier to go in a swimming after Troop beating, as it is very hurt- ful in the middle of the day. Drew provisions and rum, 1000 weight of beef condemned, & the 27th 425 Ihs. flour condemned.
31 The day fine and pleasant. Reed. an order this evening of the appointment of Jona Cilley Capt. in Stark's Regt. Mr. Gaffrey Lieu- tenant & John Harvey as Ensign of the 3d New Hampshire Regt. Capt. Hutchings & Lieut. Thompson of the U. S. Regt. came in.
June 5th Nothing material since Ens. M. Gaffrey eame in to eamp with about 30 soldiers from New Hampshire that were home on a furlough; but bring nothing new, only fine prospects of large erops of corn & fruit this year that way.
6th A fair & pleasant day but very warm. At 3 P. M. we were or- dered to attend divine service at 5 of this afternoon, When we had a discourse delivered from the 119th Psalm 36th verse. Since our tarry here 5 or 600 horses have come in every day. This afternoon Capt. Cil- ley & Lieut. Mills come into camp. On the 3d inst a general Court Mar- shall was called to try five men of this state from Morris County, for enticing some of the soldiers of this army to desert to the enemy, and promising to aid and abet them. They were found guilty & are now
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under sentence of death. Their execution is delayed a few days. In the Goal in this town there are three persons under the sentence of death for murder, whose execution will be very soon. Drew money in the Regt. for the month of May.
7th A fine pleasant but warm day. In general orders, That his Excellency Gen. Sullivan is to review the army tomorrow. The troops to parade at 11 o'clock. At 11 the troops paraded. The Cols position was on the left. The band, a pick of 18, was on the right. At 12 M. The General came attended by his Officers. The two Brigades divided into Regts and then sub divided into eight platoons, when the Gen- eral appeared on the right. The first Brigade presented arms to the officers.
10 A rainy morning but a fine clear day. Mounted guard, & re- ceived Ensign Burnam, of the 2d Regt. a good guard.
11 A fair & pleasant day. Relieved by Ens. Buck of the Jersey troops. The Brigade mustered for the month of May. By order of Gen. Sullivan the troops have been turned out to practice several maneuvers.
12 A fine pleasant day. The three prisoners that have been con- fined in Goal for a year for murder were executed at 11 A. M. This afternoon Col. Reed & Lieut. Robinson of the 2d N. H. Regt. and Lieut. Leavitt of the 3d came into Camp by whom I have received letters from many friends. In hourly expectation of having orders to march from here.
13th A rainy morning. But Nothing known at 10 A. M.
THE WAR OF 1812.
War was declared against England by our government, June 18, 1812. This was brought about by the outrageous conduct of the English. whose emissaries were employed in exciting the Indians upon onr western borders to commit atrocities upon our people, which kept the inhabitants upon the frontier in a state of alarm. The English also claimed the right to search American vessels and remove any sailors who might be English subjects. This atrocious and outrageous conduct in time of peace caused congress to declare war.
In the summer of 1814 great fears were entertained that an attack was to be made upon Portsmouth, as many British men-of-war were constantly cruising near the coast in sight of the people of that vicinity. At the call of the governor a large body of troops was detached from the various regiments of the state to defend the port from invasion. Later, the danger becoming more immi- nent, a draft was ordered and forty men went from Hampton Falls, who appear to have served from sometime in May until July 5,
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HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
1814. The men called were from the infantry. Those who be- longed to the cavalry or troop, as it was called, were not included. This, and the various methods in use to evade military duty, will account for the absence of some names of men whom we might ex- pect to see. The adjutant-general's office does not contain the lists of those who were soldiers in this war. In various ways we have been able to get the names of thirty-five men who are known to have been from this town. As a number of substitutes were sent, that would account for the other five.
The removal of these men from their quiet homes to seenes of danger, and perhaps untimely death, caused the hearts of some of the more timid men to palpitate with fear, and queer experiences were related of some of our men. From some cause, the English ships did not conclude to ride in the safe harbor of Portsmouth, nor were their officers entertained by the first families of the town. This decision greatly delighted our men, who soon returned to their homes. In after years these men related to their children and grandchildren their thrilling experiences, narrow escapes, and final deliverance from being destroyed by the inhabitants of "Pud- dle Dock." In their old age the government generously gave them a pension, which after their death was continued to their widows. At this time, January, 1898, there are said to be but three pension- ers living who were soldiers in the war of 1812-14. But there are nearly three thousand widows of those soldiers drawing pensions. Who says republics are ungrateful after this? Many of these women were not born when the war closed.
It is to be regretted that we are unable to state to what command our men were assigned while in the service. Brigadier-General Montgomery was in general command of the forces which were at Portsmouth at that time. The following are the names of the men from Hampton Falls:
Joseph Akerman
Washington Fifield
Reuben Batchelder
Aaron M. Gove
James Green
Edward Bennett Josiah Brown
Jeremiah Godfrey
Nathan Brown
John Hardy
Nathan W. Brown
Green Hardy
Sewell Brown
David Janvrin
David Chase
Joshua Janvrin
Caleb Knight (Clerk)
Joseph Clough Richard Dodge
Dearborn Lane
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MILITARY RECORD.
Benson Leavitt
Joseph Sanborn
Jonathan Nason
Levi Sanborn
James Prescott
John Smith
Josiah Prescott
Benjamin Tilton
Joshua Pike
Caleb Towle
John Porter
Chase Williams
Ilenry Robie
Walter Williams
Aaron Sanborn
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
The Civil War found Hampton Falls in much the same condi- tion as other towns. People generally did not realize the magni- tude of the contest which was before them. It was thought by many that when the South found that the North was in earnest for the preservation of the Union, they would desist in their mad attempt to destroy the government.
During the year 1861, men enlisted freely from patriotic motives, and with no extra inducement, oftentimes thinking that there would be no fighting and that it would afford them a good opportunity to see the country.
In 1862, when people began to realize the serious nature of the war, and the great cost in men and money which would be necessary to bring it to a successful conclusion, men were not free to offer their services without some extra inducement. In August, 1862, the town voted a bounty of $300 to each man who would enlist for three years and be counted in filling the quota of the town. Our quota was filled under all the calls made in 1862 by citizens of the town.
In 1863 came the dark days of the war. Our armies had met with disaster and defeat. Enlistments had ceased. Men were not forthcoming and a draft was ordered. Sixteen men were drafted from this town. The draft took place on the 10th of August at the provost marshal's office in Portsmouth. By law, the drawing of the names must be made in the presence of a citizen of the town. John F. Shepherd of Hampton Falls was a clerk in the marshal's office. He was called in and witnessed the drawing of the follow- ing names:
Samuel Batchelder # Chevey P. Chase * William A. Cram* Charles Fogg #
Ezra C. Fogg Hiram Hunt
Leslie C. Jones
Henry H. Knight
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HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
John M. Marshall Thomas G. Moulton *
John N. Sanborn*
John C. Sanborn
Ephraim Mowe Edwin Prescott*
Enoch J. Tilton*
Peter G. Tilton
Eight men only were wanted under this call. Those marked with a * were accepted. Samuel Batchelder was the only man drafted who went into the service. He became a member of Com- pany D), Fifth Regiment, and served until the close of the war. William A. Cram was accepted and mustered in, but was afterward excused by paying $300 commutation. The others, six in number, who were accepted put in substitutes.
In 1864, the quota of the town was filled by men who were im- ported for the purpose. They were bounty jumpers and men who would desert at the first opportunity. At this time the town paid a bounty of $300. The state also paid $300. If anything in excess of this was wanted, if not paid by individuals, it was paid by the town. A number of our citizens paid the excess and in this way sent substitutes, although not drafted. Those who did so were Moses E. Batchelder, Charles T. Brown, Josiah E. Brown, Warren Brown, Thomas L. Sanborn, Emmons B. Towle, and perhaps one or two others. The men who did this were exempt from future draft. The sending of this class of men to fill the quota of the town was an injustice to the old soldiers in the field who, as a rule, were respectable men, but were thus compelled to mess with the lowest and meanest criminals.
Perhaps the character of the men sent in 1864 cannot be shown better than by quoting what was written by Gov. Walter Harriman in his history of Warner. He was colonel of the Eleventh Regi- ment, N. H. Volunteers.
The town, state, and national bounties in 1864 amounted to $1,000 or $1,200 per man and bounty-jumping became a business. A man would enlist from a certain town, take his bounty, desert, and under another name enlist for another town, and so continue enlisting and desert- ing to the end of the war. The South was visited, the great cities were hunted, and Canada was raked over for recruits. Even the doors of the jails and prisons were opened in certain cases and the inmates were granted immunity from punishment on enlisting as soldiers to vindicate the integrity of the government. Of such recruits 625 were sent to fill the depleted ranks of the Eleventh N. H. Regiment,-but only 240 of them ever reached the regiment at all.
The New Hampshire Adjutant General's Report for 1865 gives the names of 425 recruits who were enlisted in 1864 under the stimulus of
CAPTAIN JOHN S. GODFREY. 1827-1899.
He was the only Regimental Quartermaster who was able to withdraw mus entire train intact after the first battle of Bull Run. Afterward he was a member of Maj .- Gen. Joe Hooker's staff. See pages 253 and 551.
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MILITARY RECORD.
extravagant bounties: 300 of them deserted in less than two months, 122 were not accounted for, two died, and one served his country.
It will be seen by the list of men credited to this town that we had quite a number of the kind described above. During the war we find fifty-nine men credited to this town.
We give below the names of the men, the time when they were mustered into the service, the company and regiment to which they were assigned, and the time and manner of leaving the service.
At the close of the war the war debt of IIampton Falls was nearly $18,000. This was raised on notes from individuals, and a few town bonds were issued in 1862. A year or two after the war closed the town received from the state bonds to the amount of $4,460, by way of equalization and towards the payment of its debt.
We submit the following list:
John S. Godfrey enlisted June 8, 1861, as assistant quartermaster, Second Regiment; was promoted to be quartermaster October 31, same year. He was the first provost marshal of the district in 1863, having his office in Portsmouth. March 13, 1865, he was made brevet-major and lieutenant-colonel to date for faithful and meri- torious service in the quartermaster's department during the war.
James H. Sanborn, Company I, Second Regiment. Enlisted Au- gust 30, 1862: mustered out May 20, 1865. He was wounded se- verely at Gettysburg and Drury's Bluff.
Benjamin Brown, Company D, Third Regiment. Enlisted Au- gust 23, 1861; mustered out July 20, 1865.
Henry McDevitt, Company D, Third Regiment. Enlisted August 23, 1861; mustered out May 8, 1865; wounded at Drury's Bluff in 1864.
Daniel E. Pervear, Company D, Third Regiment. Enlisted An- gust 23, 1861; mustered out August 23, 1864.
Samuel L. Peryear, Company D, Third Regiment. Enlisted August 23, 1861; mustered out July 20, 1865.
John L. Green, Company D, Third Regiment. Enlisted August 23, 1861: mustered ont March 11, 1862.
Stephen M. Towle, Company C, Sixth Regiment. Enlisted No- vember 27, 1861; died at Covington, Ky., November 22, 1863.
Robert T. Morgan, Company C, Sixth Regiment. Enlisted No- vember 27, 1861; wounded at Bull Run August 29, 1862; died from wounds September 19, 1862, at Georgetown, D. C.
17
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HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
Samuel H. Dearborn, Company I, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted August 13, 1862; wounded at Fredericksburg December 13, 1862; discharged June 4, 1865.
Charles W. Durgin, Company I, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted September 2, 1862; discharged June 16, 1865; wounded August 11, 1864, near Petersburg, while on picket duty.
Thomas R. Cushing, Company I, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted August 13, 1862; wounded December 13, 1862, at Fredericksburg; discharged June 13, 1863.
Robert H. Fisher, Company I, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted Au- gust 22, 1862; wounded December 13, 1862, at Fredericksburg; dis- charged August 21, 1863.
Burnham E. Peryear, Company I, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted September 6, 1862; wounded December 13, 1862, at Fredericks- burg; discharged March 27, 1863.
Sewell B. Pervear, Company I, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted September 2, 1862; discharged June 4, 1865.
Sylvester O. Peryear, Company I, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted September 6, 1862; wounded severely and lost an eye May 6, 1864; discharged June 24, 1865.
John C. Kenniston, Company I, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted September 6, 1862; discharged June 4, 1865.
Benjamin F. Marshall, First Company Heavy Artillery. Enlisted July 18, 1863; died from wound caused by accidental explosion of a shell, September 14, 1864, at Washington.
George A. Janvrin, Company B, Twelfth Regiment. Enlisted December 16, 1863; wounded at Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864; died at Washington, June 11, 1864.
Samnel Batchelder, Company D, Fifth Regiment. Drafted Au- gust 10, 1863; wounded at Cold Harbor June 3, 1864; mustered out June 28, 1865.
Joseph Warren, Company E, Thirteenth Regiment. Enlisted September 19, 1862; mustered out September 19, 1863.
John E. Williams, Company H, Fourteenth Regiment. Enlisted August 22, 1864; wounded September 19, 1864, at Opequan, Va .; mustered out July 14, 1865.
Lewis T. Sanborn, Company E, First Regiment Sharpshooters. Enlisted September 9, 1861; mustered out January 6, 1862.
Frank P. Cram, Company E, First Regiment Sharpshooters. En- listed September 9, 1861; mustered out March 19, 1864; re-enlisted
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MILITARY RECORD.
in First Regiment of Cavalry June 25, 1864; mustered out July 15, 1865.
James C. Green, Company M, First Regiment Volunteer New England Cavalry. Enlisted January 8, 1864; mustered out July 15, 1865.
William Brown, Company G, Massachusetts Heavy Artillery. Enlisted July 19, 1864; mustered out September 3, 1865.
Robert H. Butler, Company H, Sixtieth Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, for 100 days. Enlisted July 15, 1864; mustered out Novem- ber 30, 1864.
Walter N. Butler, Company H, Sixtieth Massachusetts Volun- teer Militia, for 100 days. Enlisted July 23, 1864; mustered out November 30, 1864.
Almon R. Prescott, Navy. Enlisted April 23, 1862; mustered out April 22, 1865.
David Creighton, Navy. Enlisted August 5, 1864; mustered out September 3, 1867.
Cornelius Curran, Company F, Tenth Regiment. Enlisted Sep- tember 7, 1862; deserted October 11, 1862.
John F. Hall, Company I, Fifth Regiment. Enlisted August 10, 1863; mustered out July 8, 1865.
John E. Johnson, Company E, Second Regiment. Enlisted December 2, 1864; mustered out December 19, 1865.
Michael McQuire, Company F, Fourth Regiment. Enlisted De- cember 28, 1864; mustered out August 23, 1865.
Thomas Burke, Company C, Fourth Regiment. Enlisted Decem- ber 20, 1864; mustered out August 23, 1865.
Daniel Harvey, Company I, Fourth Regiment. Enlisted Decem- ber 28, 1864; deserted March 16, 1865.
Richard Corrigan, Company C, Tenth Regiment. Enlisted Au- gust 10, 1863; wounded at Drury's Bluff May 16, 1864; mustered out August 6, 1865.
John Porter, Company K, Fifth Regiment. Enlisted August 25, 1863; deserted December 3, 1863.
Charles Crumpton, Company G, Tenth Regiment. Enlisted Au- gust 10, 1863; mustered out July 12, 1865.
John Porter, Company C, Tenth Regiment. Enlisted August 10, 1863; transferred to the Navy May 1, 1864; mustered out Au- gust 16, 1865.
William E. Carter, Company I, Fifteenth Regiment. Enlisted October 22, 1862; mustered out August 13, 1863.
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HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
John Morse, Company D, First Regiment New Hampshire Cav- alry. Enlisted July 19, 1864; deserted August 27, 1864.
George Williams, unassigned. Enlisted July 30, 1864; deserted August 29, 1864.
Charles H. King, United States Marine Corps. Enlisted August 13, 1864: deserted August 23, 1864.
Dennis Shea, Forty-eighth Massachusetts Regiment. Enlisted August, 1862 ; deserted soon after.
Frank Miller, Company H, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted Decem- ber 13, 1863; wounded at Petersburg mine explosion, July 30, 1864; mustered out September 3, 1864.
John H. West, Company K, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted De- cember 16, 1863; mustered out July 17, 1865.
Samuel P. West, Company K, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted December 16, 1863: wounded at Spottsylvania, Va., May 12, 1864; died May 20, 1864.
Henry Miller, First Regiment Volunteer Cavalry. Enlisted July 30, 1864; deserted August 30, 1864.
John Morse, Company D, First Regiment Volunteer Cavalry. Enlisted July 29, 1864; deserted August 27, 1864.
Frank Johnson, unassigned. Enlisted December 18, 1863; sup- posed to have deserted while en route for regiment.
John Morrissy, Company G, Fifth Regiment. Enlisted Decem- ber 7, 1863; missing at Cold Harbor June 3, 1864.
William Green, Company K, Eleventh Regiment. Enlisted December 18. 1863; mustered out July 12, 1865.
James McNeil, Company D, Thirteenth Regiment; John M. Mc- Carty, Thirteenth Regiment; F. W. Cate, Fifteenth Regiment. There is no further record of these three men.
George R. Briggs, Navy. Enlisted August 10, 1864; deserted September. 1864.
Andrew Somers, Navy. Enlisted August 10, 1864: deserted Sep- tember 27, 1864.
John R. Forrister, Company D, Fifth Regiment. Enlisted Au- gust 10, 1863; mustered out June 28, 1865.
MEXICAN WAR.
The Mexican War was fought principally by southern men. There were three men in the service from this immediate vicinity. Samuel George and James Janvrin of Seabrook and Stephen Dodge
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MILITARY RECORD.
of this town. James Janvrin afterwards lived in this town for many years and died in 1881. Samuel George was a soldier in the War of the Rebellion from Seabrook. He died at the Soldiers' Home, Tilton, in 1896.
MILITIA.
At the beginning of the Revolutionary War there were two classes of soldiers besides those enlisted to serve in the continental armies, viz .: A trained band which consisted of all able-bodied per- sons in the state from sixteen to fifty years of age, and the alarm list, which was made up of all males between sixteen and sixty-five years of age. These were liable to be called out when an alarm was given by firing three guns rapidly, one after another.
In 1792, the militia was organized into twenty-seven regiments, six brigades, and three divisions. A regiment was composed of two battalions commanded by a lieutenant-colonel. This town was a part of the third regiment. The first battalion consisted of North Hampton, Hampton, and Hampton Falls; the second of Sea- brook, Kensington, and South Hampton; the third regiment be- longed to the first division and First Brigade.
In 1805 company inspection was established for the last Wednes- day in June, annually (afterward changed to May), and again in the month of August or September. By the law of 1818 all able- bodied males between the ages of eighteen and forty were required to do military duty three times each year, viz., in May and Septem- ber and at the general muster of the regiment. The men between forty and forty-five years of age were required to exhibit their mus- kets and other equipments to the officers of companies on the first Tuesday in May, but not required to perform any other military duties. According to law the display of the equipments could be made by proxy, and often a boy was employed to do that service.
The law provided that all officers of a regiment who had served six years should become exempt from further military duty, and although it was thought to be a great honor to hold a commission, to many the performing of military duty was irksome, and these positions were sought for the purpose of obtaining an early discharge from all military obligations.
The following form of notice was left at the dwelling-houses of those who were liable to do military duty:
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HISTORY OF HAMPTON FALLS.
N. H. Militia-Company Orders ! Mr. Nathan W. Brown
You being duly enrolled as a Soldier in the 2d company of Infantry, at- tached to the 3d. Regiment, N. H. Militia, are hereby notified and warned to appear at or near the North Meeting House in Hampton-Falls, on TUES- DAY the 18th day of May, A. D., 1847, at 1 o'clock P. M., armed and equipped as the law directs, for military duty and inspection, and there wait further orders.
By order of the Commanding Officer.
Charles. Y. Brown Sergeant.
Hampton-Falls, May 10, 1847.
In some places quite a crowd would be in attendance at the May and September trainings, which were called "little trainings." Those for the company not in uniform were held on the common near the church which stood where G. C. Healey's house now stands. After the common was sold it was the custom to form and drill in the road in front of the Unitarian church. Those men who belonged to the uniformed companies attended the "little trainings" in the town where the majority of the company lived. Our men belonging usually went to Hampton.
The powder, extra flints, and all ammunition needed was kept in the loft of the old meeting-house, quite a quantity of which was sold at auction when the house was torn down.
The majority of those who did military duty in this town be- longed to the ununiformed company of infantry, no two men being alike in dress, accouterments, or arms. No pride was taken in making a good appearance and often there were attempts on the part of some individuals to make themselves and the whole thing ridiculous and disgraceful. This company was in this section called the "Old Salt Hay." In other places it went by the names of "Driftwood," "String Bean," and "Slam-Bang," and other pet names not intended to inspire respect.
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