USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Marlborough > History of the town of Marlborough, Cheshire County, New Hampshire > Part 6
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Gen. Burgoyne now determined to send a large force through Vermont, - or "New Hampshire Grants," as it was then called, - and subjugate New England. As soon as it became known that this was his object, the Committee of Safety of Vermont sent out expresses to alarm the adjacent States. The legislature of New Hampshire held a session of three days, and divided the militia of the State into brigades, to be commanded by Col. William Whipple and Gen. John Stark. The brigade under Stark was soon filled, and marched to Vermont with instructions "to act in conjunction with the troops of the new State, or any other of the States, or the United States, or separately, as it
* This probably means Richard Roberts.
+ Jonah Harrington.
# These three men were probably from other towns in this vicinity.
10
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HISTORY OF MARLBOROUGH.
should appear expedient to him for the protection of the people and the annoyance of the enemy."
For this brigade Capt. Salmon Stone, of Rindge, raised a company of sixty-five men, which was joined to the regiment commanded by Col. Moses Nichols. In this com- pany Marlborough sent three men; viz., Isaac McAlister, Sergeant, William Tenney, Corporal, and John Tozer. These men were in the thickest of the fight at the battle of Bennington, and also participated in the stormy scenes prior to and at the surrender of Burgoyne.
In September another company was raised in this vicinity, and James Lewis was appointed captain. In this company were the following men from Marlborough : -
Jedediah Tayntor, Sergeant. John Tozer.
John Felton, Corporal. John Lewis.
James Bemis. Thomas Upham.
Moses Tucker was first lieutenant in the fourth company of the same regiment which was commanded by Col. Daniel Moore. This regiment joined the army at Saratoga, and was present at the capitulation of the army of Gen. Burgoyne.
In the summer of 1778, a French fleet was sent upon our coast to operate against the British who were then in possession of Rhode Island. While this fleet was to act against them seaward, Gen. Sullivan was to attack them by land. New Hampshire furnished a brigade of troops for the occasion, commanded by Gen. William Whipple. Col. Enoch Hale, of Rindge had command of a regiment raised in this section of the State. In the fourth company of which James Lewis was captain, we find the names of eleven men from Marlborough, as follows : -
Moses Tucker, Sergeant. John Lewis, Corporal. John McBride.
Thaddeous Haystings.
David Wheeler. Thomas Riggs.
Phinehas Park. Richard Atwell.
Jonathan Goodenough. Abijah Tucker.
Abel Woodward.
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James Lewis entered the service August 8th, and served twenty-three days, for which he received £21 16s .; Moses Tucker received for his service at this time £12 4s. 4d.
In 1779, the State authorities called for five hundred men to fill up the three Continental battalions from this State. James Lewis and Russell Oliver were hired by the town to enter the service. We find no other enlistments during the year.
From the following returns made by the selectmen in 1780, it would seem that the town had as yet spent but little in paying bounties to soldiers, and that those who had hitherto entered the service had enlisted more from a sense of duty and love of country than for the sake of obtaining a bounty : -
To the Honorable general Court of the State of Newhampshire, gentlemen, the town of marlborough Was called upon for six men to Engage for three years, Which men the town made out to acceptance of our head Colonel, as our proportion of Continential men. Jabez mcBride, Reuben mcalester and timothy Rogers, Received no money of the town as a hire, adino goodenow, Calvin goodenow, and Fredarick freeman, have received twenty pounds Each as town Bounty Which the town Paid the tenth Day of april, 17 - (records defaced.)
In July, 1779 the town hired two men more for to serve in the Conti- nential army for the term of one year. Gave to Capt. James Lewis, as a hire, 130 Bushels of Rie and forty pounds of money. Russell Oliver Received 120 Bushels of Rie and forty pounds money this Being the Whole that the town of marlborough hath paid to the Continential Soldiers. Which they had to Raise from January the 1, 1777, to Jan- uary ye, 1, 1780.
Marlborough Feb. the 9th 1780.
DAVID WHEELER / Selectmen of OLIVER WRIGHT S marlborough.
There is no record of any enlistments during the year 1780; but Feb. 13, 1781, a meeting was held for the purpose of devising some method to fill their quota. The records of this meeting show that it was no easy task to obtain the requisite number of men. They voted first that Adino Goodenow, Calvin Goodenow, and Timothy Rogers, answer for "three of our Quota of Continential men During the war." James Brewer, Moses Tucker, and Eliphalet Stone.
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were chosen a committee to procure the remainder of the quota. The meeting was then adjourned to the 26th of the month.
At this meeting, it was voted to "Except of the man John Tozer hired during the war and to make Return of him as one of our Quota." Voted, to give "Sixty pounds old way apeace for Each man for three years, or During the war." Voted, "that the committee get the men Before march meeting, if to Behad for the above Sum." Voted, "that Mr. Atwell and Lt Brewer go to the muster marster and make Return of thoes men which this town has Engaged During the war."
At an adjourned meeting, it was voted "to give mr. Daniel Goodenow three Hundred hard Dollars as a hire for his son Ebenezer three years in the Continential Service." Voted, "to pay one hundred Dollars to mr Goodenow in one month, one hundred more in two years, Interest to Begin with the second years service." Voted, "to pay mr Goodenow one hundred more in three years Interest to Begin in two years from now." Voted, "that the Selectmen Give notes for the above Sums in Behalf of the town to mr. Goodenow for his son's hire. Voted, that Lt. Moses Tueker see the men mustered which this town hires for the army."
At the same time Lieut. James Brewer who was moder- ator of the meeting, made the town the following proposals : "If I engage for the town for three years, I will have five hundred dollars continential money, one hundred dollars the old way the first year, one half in four months, if I serve six months, and one hundred more for the second year, if I . serve six months in the second year, and one hundred more, if I serve the third year six months more." The town accepted these proposals, and the selectmen were instructed to give Mr. Brewer security for the above sums in behalf of the town.
One great barrier which rendered it difficult to procure men for the service was the extreme seareity of hard money. In June, 1775, Congress issued bills of credit to the amount
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of two millions of dollars. This emission was soon followed by another of one million. For their redemption the con- federated colonies were pledged; each colony to provide means to pay its proportion by the year 1779. At the expiration of eighteen months from their first emission, when about twenty millions had been issued, they began to depreciate. At first this was scarcely perceptible, but they continued to lose in value daily. Desirous of arresting the growing depreciation, Congress at length resorted to loans and taxes ; but it was difficult to negotiate for the loans, and taxes could not always be collected.
Pressed with the necessities of an army, Congress was obliged to continue to issue bills after they had begun to depreciate, and to pay that depreciation by increasing the sums emitted; so that by the year 1780 the amount in circulation was no less than two hundred millions.
The progress of this diminution is worthy of notice. At the close of the year 1777, the depreciation was two or three for one; in '78, five or six for one; in '79, twenty- seven or twenty-eight for one; in '80, fifty or sixty for one in the first five months. From this date, the circulation of these bills was limited; but when they passed they soon depreciated to one hundred and fifty for one, and finally several hundred for one. Several causes contributed to diminish the value of the Continental currency. The
excess in quantity at first caused a natural decline in value, which was increased by the enemy who counterfeited the bills and spread their forgeries through the States. These causes cooperating with the decline of public confidence rapidly increased the decline, until bills of credit, or what was commonly called "Continential money," became of little or no value. The evils which resulted from this system were immense. From this fact, it became extremely difficult to raise an army and provide for its subsistance. At the same time, it originated discontent among the officers and soldiers, since their pay in this depreciated currency was inadequate to the support of their families "Four months' pay of a private would not procure his family a single bushel of
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wheat, and the pay of a colonel would not purchase oats for his horse."
That Marlborough experienced her share of the evils arising from this state of the currency, is clearly shown by the following letter from the Selectmen to the Committee of Safety of New Hampshire : -
May ye, 20th, 1782.
To the honourable, the Committee of Safety of the State of New Hampshire.
Gentlemen, in obediance to a precept Received From the Honorable, the General Court to procure our Cota of Continential men, we have yoused our utmost Endeavours to procure said men our-selves, we Emeadately called a town meeting and Chose a Comta for that purpose which Committee has made a return that they cannot procure said men without paying such a large sum of hard money in hand to procure said men that it puts the matter beyond our power to procure said men upon so short Notice, we therefore Begg Leave to Inform your Honours that it is not in Disobedience to that precept but it is the Extreame Scarcity of hard money in this New town has put it out of our power at present to yeild that obediance that we should have been glad to have Done.
N. B.
we would Inform your honours that we have one man Now in the field that was not Creadited for Last year, viz Calvin Goodenow who was hired in ye year 1777 by this town to Serve for Said town During the war and at the avacuation of ticonderoga he was taken prisoner and Never joined his Regt till Last may and since that he Deserted and was Last march taken up and is Now in the first Regt in the hampshire line.
JAMES BREWER JAMES FLOOD Select
EBENEZER TEMPLE
SILAS FIFE
men of Marlborough. .
DANIEL CUTTING -
Among the soldiers mustered from this town in 1781, we find the name of Shem Kentfield who was mustered in April 16. Dr. Caverly reports him as "hanged, June, 1782," but for what offence he does not state. He was probably the man spoken of as hired by John Tozer.
In addition to the names already given of those who entered the service from this town, we are informed that Shubael Stone, Theodore Mann, Abraham Brooks, Peter
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Starkey, Eli Lewis, and Walter Capron were in the army for a longer or shorter time, but at what period of the war we cannot say, as we have been unable to find their names upon any muster-roll. Other persons who afterwards settled in Marlborough were soldiers of the Revolution. Their names are as follows : -
Benjamin Spaulding,
Jonadab Baker,
Francis Barker,
Jonas Gary,
Hezekiah Hodgkins, Nathaniel Corbin,
Joel Porter,
^ Seth Harrington,
Asa Porter,
Lawson Moors,
Jacob Woodward,
William Collins,
Timothy Harvey,
Ebenezer Tufts,
Kimber Harvey,
Benjamin Thatcher,
Aaron Willard,
Ebenezer Hemenway,
David Wilkinson,
John Wiswall, Sen.,
Daniel Farrar,
Oliver Parmenter,
George Farrar,
Hugh Mason,
Ebenezer Tolman,
John Buss,
Benjamin Tolman,
Jonathan Blodgett,
John Garfield,
Elias Hemenway,
Thomas Moors,
Enoch White,
Joseph French,
Daniel Lawrence,
Oldham Gates,
Jonathan Belding, Paul Fitch.
Jonathan Adams,
Theophilous Howard,
Francis Barker was a native of Concord, Mass. At the age of fourteen, he was apprenticed to Capt. Timothy Wheeler who was a miller and malt-maker. Mr. Barker was fifteen years old when the battle of Concord took place. and was eye-witness to much that transpired between the British and Americans in Concord that day.
The British soldiers on their arrival divided into parties, and went directly to the several places where the province stores were deposited. They rolled out the barrels of flour which, unheaded, they emptied into the streets and rode their horses through it. Mr. Wheeler had a large quantity of provincial flour, together with some casks of his own, stored upon his premises. A British officer demanding entrance, he readily gave him admission. The officer
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expressed his pleasure at the discovery, and ordered his soldiers to destroy it; but Capt. Wheeler, with much affected simplicity, said to him, putting his hand on one of his own barrels: "This is my flour. I am a miller, sir; yonder stands my mill; I get my living by it. In the winter, I grind a good deal of wheat, and get it ready for market in the spring."
The officer supposing they were all his, and replying that he did not intend to injure private property, turned away and left it unmolested. This was all of the government flour and grain saved in Concord that day.
The proceedings of the British on that occasion were more than young Barker knew how to bear, and he was heard to say in later years that it "made his blood boil with indignation." He at once obtained leave of his master to enter the service ; but, on going to the recruiting office, he was told by the officer in charge that he "was not large enough for a soldier, and that he must go home and get his mother to make him another pudding." He waited one year, and again offered himself to his country; but again he was doomed to disappointment. At the age of seventeen, he entered the army, where he remained three years and six months.
Jonadab Baker was in the campaign at Rhode Island, where he remained three months. After his return, he again enlisted, and went to West Point, and was there when Major André was taken as a spy.
Joel Porter was in the army about two years : he was in the battle of Bunker Hill, where he was shot through the ankle near the commencement of the action. The bone was badly shattered; but, having poured some rum from his canteen through the wound, he continued in the fight till his ammunition was expended and a retreat was ordered. In consequence of his wound, he received a pension of fifteen dollars per annum during the last twenty years of his life.
Asa Porter, a brother of Joel, was in many of the most famous battles of the Revolution, including Monmouth, White Plains, and Yorktown, and witnessed the surrender
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of Cornwallis. The battle of Monmouth was fought on the 28th of June, 1778. Mr. Porter used to say that the extreme heat of that day "killed more men than the British did." The tongues of many of the soldiers were so swollen that it was impossible to retain them in the mouth. Mr. Porter said that he, with many others of his companions, drank gunpowder with their rum; and this he believed prevented their being overcome by the heat. At the battle of White Plains, Mr. Porter picked up a cannon-ball which he brought home as a trophy of the war. It is still pre- served by his descendants.
Jacob Woodward was in the army at three different times, entering the service at the age of sixteen. He was at West Point also at the time of the capture of Major André, and was one of the soldiers who guarded him the night before his execution.
Timothy Harvey and his brother Kimber enlisted from Swanzey. Kimber was hired by the town of Swanzey to serve for the period of eight months, for which he received thirteen pounds.
William Collins entered the army from Southborough, when only sixteen years of age, serving at first in the capacity of captain's servant. At one time, the army being short of provisions, a strict guard was kept over the bread, which was dealt out to the soldiers in very small quantities. One day Collins and two or three of his comrades, feeling more than usual the pangs of hunger, formed a plan to steal a quantity of bread. Collins was to watch for an oppor- tunity, when the guard was looking the other way, to catch the bread and run; and, if discovered, his companions in the plot were to call the attention of the officers in the opposite direction. They sauntered up near the pile of bread, when, seeing a good opportunity, Collins suddenly snatched a loaf and ran. The theft was immediately discovered; but his companions, acting well their part, started and ran in the opposite direction, crying as they did so, "This way! this way!" thus deceiving the officers, and enabling Collins to escape to the place previously agreed upon, where he
11
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divided the loaf equally with his companions who had assisted him in the plot.
Aaron Willard was at White Plains. The following incident was related by him to Deacon Abel Baker, of Troy who in turn gave it to the author. On the night before the battle, a picket-guard, under a colonel including the company to which Mr. Willard belonged, was ordered on duty between Washington's camp and the British army. They advanced through a piece of woods, and were stationed for the night about thirty or forty rods toward the British camp, leaving the woods between them and the American lines. In the company to which Willard belonged there was one Green who, though he had but one eye, was considered the smartest man in the company. As it began to grow light in the morning, a thick fog came on, so that nothing could be seen at any distance; but, as the fog cleared away about eight o'clock, they beheld the British Light Horse Guards within twenty or thirty rods of them. As soon as the colonel discovered the enemy, he ordered his men to fire and retreat to the woods. The British cavalry pursued, in order to overtake them before they had time to screen themselves behind the trees; but Green stopped on the field and gave them a second shot, and then followed his comrades towards the woods, but was singled out by a horseman who raised his sword in order to finish him at a single blow. Green loaded his gun as he ran; and, when he jumped the fence at the edge of the timber, the horseman brought his sword down and gave him a slight flesh-wound in the shoulder. As Green struck the ground, he brought his gun round back-handed, and fired with so good aim that the horseman paid dearly for his recklessness, for he fell from his horse a dead man.
Benjamin Thatcher, it is said, served during the greater part of the war, and was in many of the most important battles. He was in the retreat from Ticonderoga to Still- water in August, 1777, and was also present at the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne.
David Wilkinson, Senior, entered the army at the age of
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sixteen from Walpole, Mass. He was at West Point at the time of Arnold's treachery, and was present at the execu- tion of André. The records of Walpole state that the town "voted to give each soldier one-half bushel of Indian corn for each day's service, and the same quantity for every ten miles' travel."
Daniel Farrar was one of the minute-men at Concord, and also took part in the battle of Bunker Hill, where a musket-ball clipped a lock of his whiskers. His term of enlistment expired soon after, and we do not learn as he again entered the service. His brother George was in the army some five or six years, but we have not been able to gain any information of his military career.
John Wiswall, Senior, the father of Major John Wiswall, entered the army from Newton, Mass. He was at the battle of Lexington, being a member of a company from Newton which was commanded by his brother Jeremiah. His father, Capt. Noah Wiswall, was in the same company, . being at that time seventy-six years old. The History of Newton states that, in 1777, John Wiswall lent the town twenty pounds to pay the soldiers.
Ebenezer Tolman enlisted from Fitzwilliam. He was under Col. Stark, and was at the battle of Bunker Hill. He assisted in building the breastwork of rail-fence and hay, and fought behind it when the British made the attack. He was also in the expedition against Quebec under Arnold, where he was captured and held a prisoner four months. After being exchanged, he re-enlisted and served through the greater part of the war.
His brother Benjamin was in the battle of Lexington and also of Bunker Hill, where he was in the thickest of the fight. In a hand-to-hand conflict, his gun was wrenched from him by a British soldier ; but he stood his ground, defending himself with the weapons Nature had furnished him, until his captain, seeing his condition, quickly brought him another musket, with which he continued to fight until ordered to retreat. Mr. Tolman was paid by the State for articles lost in the battle," as follows: "For shoes 1s .; for
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HISTORY OF MARLBOROUGH.
stockings 2s .; for trousers 28. 6d .; for shirts 5s .; for sun- dries 2s." He was in the army about two and a half years, receiving a compensation of £4 10s. per month. The last battle in which he was engaged was that of Bennington, where he passed through one of the most trying scenes of his military life. Ezekiel Mixer, his companion in arms, and the one who had been his most intimate friend for two years, received his death-wound while fighting by his side. Mr. Tolman bore him from the field and closed his dying eyes.
Enoch White entered the service from Bolton, Mass. The following is copied from an old book which formerly belonged to Mr. White, and was once the property of his father, Samuel White, having been purchased by the latter in 1764.
A list of towns which I went through a going to Benington and half moon in the American revolutionary war, July, 30, 1777, left Bolton in the Bay State and went to Lancaster, Starlin; Shuesbury; Holden ; Rutland: Bare: Petersham: New Salem; Shutsborough : Amherst : Hadley : North Hamten ; Chesterfield : Withington ; Patridgefield : Gage- borongh : New Providence : Whosick : Pownal : Benington : Dutch Who- sick : Mapleton Pitsfield : Half moon. Came home September 3ª 1777.
Also a list of towns I went through to Rhodeisland. Sept. 1781, left Bolton Masachusets Bay and went to Marlborough, Southborough : Ilopkinton Milford: Belingham: Cumberland: Rehoboth : Swanzey : Waring: Bristol: Pary : Rhodeisland Come home, November 30 1781. ENOCH WHITE.
Jonathan Belding was at West Point, and witnessed the desertion of Arnold: he saw him (with the aid of a spy-glass) climbing over the side of the vessel. Several of the soldiers with himself were so excited they fired their guns at Arnold, but a cannon-ball would have failed to reach him at so great a distance. Mr. Belding used to relate that upon one occasion when on a long march their rations failed; and such was their famished condition that they roasted and ate their shoes, after which they could be tracked by the blood from their feet for two days. The first food they came across was an ox which they
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slaughtered and commenced dressing, but such was their hunger that, when they came to the inwards, these were cut or torn open, thrown upon the fire, roasted, and being eaten were declared to be the best food that ever passed their lips.
Joseph French was in the battle of Bunker Hill. He had been serving in the capacity of Drum-major; but one of his neighbors to whom he had lent his gun, having served his time, returned the gun to French just before the battle. Mr. French laid aside the drum, and took up his musket and entered the ranks. Near the close of the action, he was wounded in the back of the neck.
We regret that so little is known of the military career of those men who fought for their country's liberty; but they long since passed from earth, and their descendants have treasured up but little of their history, so that at this late day it is impossible to give any connected account of their adventures and experience.
There was one man who, although he was a British soldier, must not be forgotten in these pages. Alexander Fish, a Scotchman by birth, was a soldier in the British army. He started with Burgoyne from Montreal, and shared in the trials and difficulties of the campaign from that place to New York. His business was to drive a span of horses attached to a large brass gun belonging to one of the batteries. After the battle of Saratoga, and before the surrender of the army, an order was given to drive that gun away from the encampment and bury it. The order was obeyed. Fish drove the gun to the spot, the hole was dug, the gun dismounted and buried. Fish marked the spot with the intention of securing it at some convenient time for his own benefit. Soon after the surrender, and before the prisoners were exchanged, he deserted, and took up his residence in Marlborough. He married an Englishwoman, by the name of Mary Montgomery, whose history was even more singular than that of her husband. She belonged to the titled family of Montgomery in England, and was brought up in affluence. At the time of the breaking out of the Revolutionary war, she was receiving the attentions
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