USA > Rhode Island > Newport County > History of Newport County, Rhode Island. From the year 1638 to the year 1887, including the settlement of its towns, and their subsequent progress > Part 32
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On the 20th of December General Lee set off for Newport, attended by a guard and a party of riffemen. Arrived at Prov- idence, he was made commander-in-chief of all the forces on the island. On Sunday, the 22d, he set out from Providence for Rhode Island. The Cadet company, with a party of rifle- men and the general's guard, went on the island the same day. On Monday a number of minute men and others, eight hundred armed men altogether, were collected on the island when the general, preceded by the cadets, his guard and his riflemen. entered the town of Newport.
He called before him a number of obnoxious citizens, to whom he tendered an oath of fidelity, which was taken by all of them except Colonel Joseph Wanton, Jr., and Messrs. Nich- olas Lechmere and Nicholas Beale, two of the officers of the king's customs, who, refusing it, were put under guard and sent prisoners to Providence, where they were confined with the tories captured by Hopkins and others. General Lee, after
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visiting the island and giving some general directions as to the fortifications, set ont for Providence on Wednesday, where he arrived on Thursday, the 30th, and on Saturday returned to camp, from which he had been absent abont ten days. At Providence the committee voted that "one of the best beds with the furniture taken from Charles Dudley be presented to General Lee."
Washington wrote to the president of congress on the 31st : "General Lee is just returned from his excursion to Rhode Is- land. He has pointed out the best method the island would ad- mit of for its defence. He has endeavoured all in his power to make friends of those that were our enemies. You have en- closed a specimen of his abilities in that way for your pernsal. I am of opinion that if the same plan was pursued through every province, it would have a very good effect."
The "specimen of his abilities " was the oath, which, in our day, would be styled "iron clad." It reads as follows : "I, Jolin Bours, here, in the presence of Almighty God, as I hope for ease, honour and comfort in this world, and happiness in the world to come, most earnestly, devontly and religiously swear neither directly nor indirectly to assist the wicked instru- ments of ministerial tyranny and villainy commonly called the King's troops and navy by furnishing them with provisions or refreshments of any kind unless authorized by the Continental Congress or the Legislature as at present established in this partienlar colony of Rhode Island. I do also swear by the same tremendous and Almighty God that I will neither directly nor indirectly convey any intelligence nor give any advice to the aforesaid enemies so described, and that I pledge myself if I should by any accident get the knowledge of such treason to inform immediately the Committee of Safety. And as it is justly allowed that when the sacred rights and liberties of a nation are invaded neutrality is not less base and criminal than open and avowed hostility, I do further swear and pledge my- self, as I hope for eternal salvation, that I will, whenever called upon by the voice of the Continental Congress or that of the legislature of this particular colony, under their anthority take arms and subject myself to military discipline in defense of the common rights and liberties of America, so help me God.
"JOHN BOURS.
"Sworn at Newport, December 25, 1776."
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HISTORY OF NEWPORT COUNTY.
General Lee himself wrote to his friend, Robert Morris, From camp on tho 3d of Jannary that he had just returned from his tour through Rhode Island, made at the request of the governor and committee "in order to direct them in putting that Prov- ince in a state of defense, as Newport swarms with Tories and suspected persons. I from my own authority obliged three worthies to take a most solemn oath of allegiance to the Con- tinental Congress, as the measure was necessary for the common safety. I hope it will be approved of by our sovereign. for such now must the Congress be esteemed. The King's speech abso- Intely destroys all hope of reunion."
A queer character was Lee, and there is a subdued touch of humor in Washington's words which reveals a side of his na- ture little known. Lee's conduct on this occasion was in har- mony with the sentiments he expresses. He behaved with great moderation and regard for the pride of the town. Leav- ing his troops behind him, he rode into the city with the escort only of his own guard, thirty riflemen and the cadet company of Providence, and he received the town council with "great politeness " and affability.
That there were Tories elsewhere in Rhode Island than at Newport, or at least an impatience of authority, appears from the riotous proceedings at West Greenwich, on the main land, on the 23d of December, at the very time when Lee was march- ing through the island. The occasion was the attempt of the colonel to draft the one quarter of the militia ordered by the recess committee of the assembly to the defense of the island. The colonel was insulted, the adjutant's sword broken, and the enlistment of the quota of the first company broken up. The attempt was renewed on the 26th, and again prevented by a second riot.
While General Lee was at Newport, or immediately on his departure, the inhabitants of the town addressed a memorial to congress which, dated the 26th of December, was signed on their behalf by William Coddington, the town clerk. It repre- sented their exposure, from their local and defenseless situation, to insults and destruction from the ships of war then and for a long time stationed in their harbor ; the necessary removal of the cannon from the fort by the assembly in their certain ina- bility to maintain the fort, the only place of defense against the attacks of the ships of war ; that the ships of war, availing
1
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of their impotency had, with unparallelled wantonness and cruelty, interrupted their ferry, provision and wood boats, senttling and dismantling them, thus breaking up their local trade ; that they had seized their West India vessels in the harbor and sent them to Boston to supply the ministerial troops there ; that they had laid a plan to rob Rhode Island and all the other islands of their stock, and collected transports to carry it away ; that, exasperated in the failure of this plot, Captain Wallace, with his fleet, had bombarded Bristol and ex- torted what he could from the inhabitants ; that he had can- nonaded the ferry at Jamestown, thus cutting off communica- tion between the town of Newport and the western part of the colony, whence they received the greater part of their supplies ; that expecting next to be bombarded themselves, they had sent proposals to Wallace engaging to supply his ships with fresh beef and beer if their boats were left unmolested, and on this occasion addressed a memorial to the committee of safety and sent a committee to the deputy governor of the colony, then at Cambridge, who took the advice of the committee of congress, and were by them counselled to make the truce with Wallace, which was done on the fourteenth day of November ; that on the ninth of December Wallace engaged to give fresh permits, yet nevertheless the next day devastated Jamestown ; that a few days after they received a message from Wallace "that if the town did not renew the Truce it would be attended with fatal consequences," and that on the fourteenth of December, with the knowledge of the deputy governor and the command- ing officer, the truce was renewed, but upon the committee in- forming the commanding officer of their proceedings, to their surprise they were told "that he had positive orders from the committee of safety prohibiting all supplies to the ships of war in this harbour."
The memorial goes on to say that in view of the prospect of a large town in flames and five thousand men, women and chil- dren forced out of their habitations into the open fields to per- ish, numbers of them through the inclemency of the season, a town meeting was immediately called and at a full assembly a numerous committee was appointed to wait on the governor, to request the committee of safety to reconsider their resolution. This was done, the committee consenting to a renewal of the truce until the second Monday in January, the next session of
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the general assembly. The memorial then recites the request to Washington to send a regiment with a general officer to the island and details the interview of the town council with Gen- eral Lee. It appears that Lee informed them that he "intend- ed immediately to barricade the town," but on their represen- tations that such action would probably bring on a bombard- ment to their great distress in the inclement season, he had laid aside this idea. In the course of the conversation General Lee had said, as the memorial states, that " letters had gone for- ward to the Honorable the Continental Congress on the subject of supplying the ships of war and that the town was placed in an unfavorable light." This conversation gave rise to the memorial. The memorial then states that in consequence of the truce the ships had lain in quiet in the harbor and thirty vessels had an opportunity to pass on the east and west side of the bay and to import military stores and provisions of every kind for the use of the continental army in the colony, and this state of things it might fairly be inferred would continue; and a stoppage of it might cause destruction wherever the depth of water in the river and bay would admit the ships., For all which reasons the inhabitants most earnestly request that they be still permitted to supply the ships at least for a season.
This extremely interesting document contains two pieces of information of value to the historian. One is the number of in- habitants "fice thousand" above mentioned. The second is quoted in full: "Newport, the capital of this colony, consists of eleren, hundred wooden dwelling houses and upward, exclusive of stores, warehouses, etc., and is situated so near the shore that the ships of war may and often do approach within pistol shot of some of those buildings, and if this indulgence had not been granted the ruin and destruction of this town must have en- sued, and many of its inhabitants perished with it, and a severe wound been given to the cause in which America is engaged; for your memorialists beg leave to state that the town of New- port itself pays nearly one sixth part of the whole taxes of the colony and will probably (if not destroyed) pay that propor- tion of the charges and expenses which have already arisen or that shall arise in the present contest with Great Britain and America."
The prayer of the memorial was in faet a prayer for life. The poor people were not, however, deserted in their distress. The
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town council published a notice on the 21st in the Newport "Mercury," that they had the assurance that Providence county would receive and provide for four hundred of the poor who should remove into that county and the council offered to make provision for the removal.
The situation of the inhabitants of Newport at the opening of the memorable year of 1776 was certainly precarious. The status quo on which daily life depended might at any moment be disturbed, and its continuance depended not on any act of the town but wholly on the determination of the American commanders or the caprice of the British naval officers. For the winter, however, they were reasonably secure.
While the king's speech at the opening of parliament on the 26th of October, which reached the colonies in the first days of the new year, left no doubt of his " rancor and resentment," to use Washington's words, against the colonies, the friends of con- ciliation, and there were many in the large ports which had close relations with Bristol, the most liberal of the English cities, who were in communication with their whig friends there, still had faith in an amicable settlement of the difficul- ties. Of such, among the merchants, the most powerful class in the colonies, all of which were a trading people, were John Cruger in New York, and enough in Boston to found a small colony in London on their expatriation later. Colonel Joseph Wanton was the best representative of this element in Newport. And there were quite as many, perhaps more, of this way of thinking among those of the professions: John Dickinson in Philadelphia, Doctor Cooper in New York, Thomas Cushing, Harrison Gray and many others of like reputation in Boston.
But Washington, after the king's speech, had given up all hopes of a peaceful issne. The distinction the Americans had endeavored to maintain between the acts of the ministry and the acts of the king under which subtlety they had issued commissions in the king's name to fight the ministerial fleet and army, was now idle. To Governor Cooke, who had referred him on the first of January to General Lee for " the particu- lars of his expedition to Rhode Island," Washington wrote on the 6th concerning the truce with the fleet, in terms which did not command its discontinuance, but left no doubt as to his opin- ion of its inexpediency. " When this treaty was first obtained perhaps it was right. There then might have been some hopes
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of an accommodation taking place; but now, when every pros- pect seems to be cut off by his majesty's late speech, when the throne from which we had supplicated redress breathes forth vengeance and indignation and a firm determination to remain unalterable in its purposes and to prosecute the system and plan of ruin formed by the ministry against us, should not an end be put to it and every possible method be fallen upon to prevent their getting necessaries of any kind. We need not expect to conquer our enemies by good offices, and I know not what pernicious consequences may result from a precedent of this sort. Other places circumstanced as Newport is may fol- low the example and by that means their whole fleet and army will be furnished with what it highly concerns ns to keep from them. This, however, with all deference I leave to your con- sideration."
The regard in which both parties held the truce and their obligations under it, was shown within twenty-four hours of the receipt of Washington's letter. On the 7th of January a mid- shipman and two seamen were decoyed from their ship by a party of minute men from headquarters on the island. They had procured a negro man to hail one of the British tenders and draw the officer and sailors ashore at Brenton's point under pretense of men being in waiting to enter the king's service. The British reply to this proceeding was summary. On Friday, the 12th, Captain Wallace, with his entire fleet of twelve vessels, sailed up the river from Newport harbor and at four o'clock in the afternoon landed two hundred and fifty men on Prudence island, where the Americans had from forty to fifty men under Captain Pearce. After exchanging fire Pearce retreated from the island. Some of his men were wounded and one taken prisoner by the enemy. At sunset the British burned seven houses on the island, on hearing which Deputy- Governor Cooke, General West, Colonel Richmond, Colonel Martin, Colonel Cook, Captain Allen and Captain Wells set ont to send forces upon Prudence Island from Warren and Bristol. Fifty men were ordered by General West from War- ren with orders to join those gathered at Warwick neck and proceed to the island. Governor Cook, with the general, then went to Bristol and sent off Major Tallman with eighty men in whale boats who landed at dawn. Captain Barton had landed
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from headquarters, but the men from Warwick could not join them for want of boats.
At nine o'clock the next morning the British landed two hundred and fifty men and attacked a gnard of forty men stationed to observe their motions. Fifty of the Americans joining this body, a smart engagement ensned which lasted three hours. The British finally retreated, leaving two dead and one wounded. The night before they had taken off one hundred sheep but no cattle. Three of the Americans were slightly wounded. Sunday evening the British burned two more buildings on Prudence island and on Monday cut a quantity of wood on Hope island, after which they returned to Newport.
The assembly which convened at Providence on Mondny, the Sth of January, began its business by ordering an address to the continental congress, representing " the inability of the col- ony, from its sitnation, smallness and poverty, to defend itself," and praying for assistance. A committee was ap- pointed on the state of the colony-Deputy Governor Nicholas Cooke, Secretary William Ellery, Joseph Brown, Henry Marchant, Sylvester Child and Gideon Mumford-who were charged with the preparation of the address, and a considera- tion of the places in which the troops in the service of the col- ony had best be stationed. The address was sent by Governor Cooke to the Rhode Island delegates, Hopkins and Ward, on the 21st of January.
It represented the services of the colony in the "late glori- ons war " against the French and its zealous part in resistance to the stamp duties in 1765, and the immediate share it had in the common defense by marching troops after the attacks at Lexington and Concord. It then gave a description of the physical situation of the colony, which is admirable in succinct- ness : " Unfortunately for the inhabitants this colony is scarcely anything but a line of sea coast. From Providence to Point Judith, and from thence to Pawcatuck river, is nearly eighty miles ; on the east side of the bay from Providence to Seacon- net point, and Including the east side of Seaconnet, until it meets the Massachusetts line, is about fifty miles; besides which are the navigable rivers of Pawcatuck and Warren. On the west side the colony doth not extend twenty miles, and on the east side not more than eight miles, from the sea coast
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above described. In the colony are also included the following islands : Rhode Island, about sixteen miles in length ; Conani- cut, nine; Block Island, nine; Prudence, seven ; and the smaller islands, Patience, Ilope, Gould Island and several others ; all which are cultivated and fertile and contributed largely to the public expenses ; the greater part of the above mentioned shores are accessible to ships of war."
The inhabitants, it said, derived their subsistence almost wholly from commerce. Ship building was a great branch of business. It gives as a reason for the great number of the king's ships stationed in the bay the convenient situation of the colony for receiving supplies for the continental army near Boston. The feet stationed in the "bay for seven months past," is described as consisting of two ships of twenty guns, one of sixteen, a bomb-ketch and about eight tenders, whose depredations had put an end to commerce and reduced Newport to so deplorable n state that instead of contributing to the ex- penses of the war, the colony had been obliged to grant money ont of the treasury for the support of the poor ; many of the wealthy inhabitants having left not only the town but the col- ony. The address then states the efforts already made and their utter inability to maintain the present force. Governor Cooke, in the letter to the delegates enclosing this interesting document, nrged the importance of giving up "every idea of partial and colonial defence," saying that unless "the congress enter npon the defence of the colony it must be abandoned." The delegates were also requested to ascertain and inform the assembly as to letters written from the colony concerning the treaty with Wallace for the supply of the ships, in which it seems the patriotism of the people was questioned. They were also informed that the assembly had agreed to supply the king's ships. Governor Cooke sent a copy of this address to Washington, which he undertook himself to lay before con- gress. He was particularly impressed by the request that a body of forces should be procured on the continental establishment for the defense of the colony. He had satisfied himself of the truth of the representations of the address and the importance of Rhode Island in its extensive sea coast, and he particularly recognized the " zeal and attachment " of its people.
Congress referred the petition of Newport to the assembly. every delegate who spoke in the debate having expressed the
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opinion that the "ships should be supplied with necessaries for their support," care being taken that the enemy elsewhere should not thus obtain provisions. The assembly under this recommendation authorized the town council of Newport to supply Captain Wallace, so long as he was peaceable and com- mitted no depredations on the island, with two thousand pounds of beef and with beer as usual, the delivery to be under the direction of the commanding officer of the forces and by the person appointed by him, but that "no member of either House of the Assembly be appointed to deliver the same or to go on board of either of the ships of war under said Wallace's command on any occasion whatever;" a precaution which shows how uncertain the state of public opinion was and how suddenly that of individuals veered at this period. Washing- ton's letter to the governor was laid before the assembly and had so great weight with them that, as the governor wrote the general, " no supplies would have been permitted to the ships" but for the opinion of the members of the continental congress that they should be continued. A discretionary power under order of secrecy was given to the committee on the close of the session to permit supplies in case of imminent danger of a cannonade or burning during the recess.
'The inhabitants of Newport were recommended to remove to some place of safety all their aged people, women, children and those unable to assist in the defense of the place, together with their valuable effects, and two hundred pounds were voted to move the poor who could not move themselves. The councils of the towns were ordered to call a town meeting within three weeks from the rising of the assembly, at which they were to present a list of all the inhabitants able to bear arms who had not supplied themselves, from inability, and to provide for the purchase of arms sufficient for such persons to be kept by the captains of the districts. One artillery company of fourteen men was ordered for each of the towns, and that each town be supplied with two, three or four pound field pieces on carriages, except those already supplied, among which was Newport. They were to drill half a day every week to exercise the can- non. The committee of safety for each county was directed to see that the order for cannon was complied with. Colonel John Cooke was appointed on the committee for Newport in addition to Metcalfe Bowler.
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The regiment ordered at the last session was increased to seven hundred and fifty men exclusive of the artillery company, and to consist of twelve companies. Officers were named for the four new companies and the artillery company. A new regiment of twelve companies, seven hundred and fifty men, was raised. These two regiments were brigaded together and Christopher Olney appointed major of brigade. Henry Bab- cock of Westerly, a gallant officer of the French war, who had served on Amherst's staff, was appointed colonel, Christopher Lippitt, lientenant colonel, and Adam Comstock, major. Offi- eers were named for the row gallies, each of which was manned by fifty men; Benjamin Page to the command of the first of the gallies.
The commander-in-chief on the island was requested to put three hundred soldiers or minute men in Jamestown. A field piece was ordered to Warwick. Orders were issned for the pur- chase of all the shot and powder in the colony. An order was given for the importation of thirty thousand bushels of salt, of which seven thousand was for the county of Newport; Metcalfe Bowler, George Irish and Thomas Corey were the committee on the purchases for Newport. A bounty was offered to enconrage the manufacture of saltpetre and gunpowder. The committee of safety were directed to erect two barracks at headquarters on Rhode Island and one at Howland's ferry. The stock, corn, provisions and hay on Prudence island were ordered to be re- moved with all possible despatch under direction of Colonel Lippitt and by his regiment, and one of the colony's companies on the island was ordered to Bristol for the defense of that town. A company of fifty men and the Warwick artillery company were stationed at Warwick neck; minute men were attached to them. The neck was to be fortified by the troops who were to remain until the British fleet should go down the river.
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