USA > Rhode Island > The "Old Stone Bank" history of Rhode Island, Vol. III > Part 20
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As related in the previous chapter, the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, and here again we find that there was yet no
deep-seated hostility to the crown among people hereabouts since they welcomed the news of the repeal with great demon- strations of joy. The Rhode Island As- sembly adopted an address of thanks to the King and ordered a day of public thanksgiving. It was like the first Armis- tice Day in Providence and Newport - bells were rung, cannon fired, everyone paraded, flags were put out, and the whole populace indulged in a continuous round of impromptu processions, dinners and balls. The King was a good fellow after all, the English government had just made a little mistake and now all would be forgotten. Mobs could now disperse, there would be no more talk of revolution, the despised revenue collectors could again show their faces without fear of bodily harm, that is, if they made no more attempts to enrich the coffers of the King from the pockets of his delivered subjects. But, that wasn't how it worked out. When the Stamp Act was repealed, by a vote of more than two to one, Parlia- ment passed an amendatory act declaring the right of that body to tax and other- wise govern the Colonies in all cases what- soever. Therefore, when control of colony affairs passed from William Pitt, long a staunch champion of Colonial rights, into the hands of Townshend, Chancellor of the Exchequer, things began to happen again that awakened the fires of patriot- ism and stirred up talk of resistance and revolution here in America.
In May 1767, a new scheme of taxation was devised laying import duties upon glass, lead, paints, paper and tea. The plan cleverly avoided the objection to internal taxes, the principal feature of the defunct Stamp tax, but it again brought up the old question of taxation without representation. Naturally, here in Rhode Island the news of the passage of these new tax laws was received with indigna- tion. The dying embers of revolution were quickly fanned into flames. Boston, with British soldiers already quartered in her midst, immediately led the way by refusing to import any of the articles listed
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in the tax, and Providence and Newport soon followed suit by passing acts to dis- courage the use of English goods and to encourage home manufacture. In 1768, Massachusetts sent out a circular letter asking all of the other colonies to register protests against England's attempts to carry on her unfair taxation plans, and, furthermore, Massachusetts invited con- certed action against such plans. Lord Hillsborough wrote to Rhode Island say- ing: "Exert your utmost influence to de- feat this wicked attempt to disturb the public peace, by prevailing upon the as- sembly of your province to take no notice of it, which will be treating it with the contempt it deserves." His Lordship made the same request to the other Colo- nies but Rhode Island replied in a manner that was suggestive of the independence that was first given to the world here 132 years previous. The official reply to Lord Hillsborough read as follows: "On the contrary, that letter (the one sent out by Massachusetts) appears to this Assembly (the Rhode Island General Assembly) to contain not only a just representation of our grievances, and an invitation to write in humble, decent and loyal addresses to the throne for redress, but also sentiments of the greatest loyalty to His Majesty, of veneration for his high court of Parlia- ment, of attachment to the British con- stitution, and of affection to the mother country - Therefore, this Assembly, in- stead of treating that letter with any degree of contempt, think themselves obliged, in duty to themselves and to their country, to approve the sentiments con- tained in it." What more decisive, pa- triotic expression of independence could be found than that direct statement of position ?
Then followed an exchange of corre- spondence wherein Rhode Island through the Assembly repeatedly expressing loy- alty to the mother country provided that the obnoxious measures were abolished. It is well to repeat at this point that Eng- land still had a wide loop-hole through which she could wiggle out of any impend- ing trouble with this and all the other American Colonies, but, apparently, American devotion to liberty in all things found few sympathetic ears, and the
danger of American resistance to the King's order was greatly underestimated by those who persisted in playing the part of tyrants. Time marched on to Septem- ber 16, 1768 when an address to the King was drawn up in which the colonial grievances were given and the opinion hazarded that all of these acts imposing duties and taxes in America were not for the regulation of commerce, but for the sole purpose of obtaining money. Such an inference did not encourage good feelings between the embittered home government and the American colonies.
It is easy to imagine the difficulties encountered by English revenue collectors in the face of the resentment that was held for the King, and all the King's men, after the offensive taxation measures had gone into effect. Friction with English custom officers seems a mild description of the clashes that must have occurred when our enraged ancestors were pre- sented with tax bills embellished with his Majesty's royal seal. One instance of trouble in this matter made history in Rhode Island.
A British armed sloop, incongruously named the "Liberty " and commanded by William Reid, was cruising about Narra- gansett Bay and nearby Long Island Sound in July 1769, seeking contraband traders, or smugglers. On the 17th of that month she brought two Connecticut ves- sels into Newport on suspicion of illicit trade. An heated argument between some of the "Liberty's" crew and the captain of one of the Connecticut ships ended in the beating up of the latter and the firing upon his ship by the "Liberty." That same evening a group of aroused Newporters took a hand in the affair by forcing Cap- tain Reid of the "Liberty " to come ashore with his men leaving only two first officers on board. Once this was accomplished, and there must have been considerable excite- ment that evening on the Newport water- front, a party boarded the English vessel, sent the officer ashore, cut the mooring cable and promptly scuttled His Majesty's sloop "Liberty." Her small boats were hustled off to the other end of the town and burned, and that historic bonfire must have been an event not soon forgotten.
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To be sure, the scuttling of the "Liberty " was not a great deed, nevertheless it stands in history as the first overt act of the impending revolution.
Governor Wanton issued a proclama- tion for the arrest of the offenders, and that point needs a word of explanation. Governor Joseph Wanton, who was elected in 1769, was the fourth of that name to hold the office and he remained as chief executive until 1775, his last election being in April of that year. He was a staunch loyalist, at all times faithful to the English crown. As this continued
story proceeds to relate the stirring tale of what transpired during Governor Joseph Wanton's regime we shall see what abruptly brought an end to his political career. He began to bring trouble upon his head when he zealously sought to find and arrest those who participated in the destruction of the "Liberty." In that he was unsuccessful, and, in time, he was destined to find himself charged with the responsibilities of locating a great many more offenders. From this point on there could be no turning back, the way to liberty was clearly defined.
THE "GASPEE" AFFAIR
0 NE of the most colorful incidents in the history of Rhode Island was the "Gaspee" affair. With all the boldness that distinguished the Boston Tea Party, a group of indignant and courageous citi- zens took matters into their own hands and deliberately ended a scourge that had long been the source of great irritation. In the year 1772 the English government decided to enforce the revenue laws that heretofore had not been backed up with force. For years vessels had been sta- tioned in Newport harbor for the pur- pose of enforcing the existing revenue laws, but it remained for the "Gaspee" to stir up the bitter hatred of the colonists.
The "Gaspee" was an armed schooner commanded by Lieutenant Duddingston, an insolent, overbearing individual. His great delight in life was to make existence miserable for Rhode Island craft, large and small. Up and down the bay he sailed, hailing boats and terrorizing their occu- pants. If vessels that were hailed did not stop immediately, a shot was fired across their bows as a warning of what might be expected if they did not wait to be searched. The "Gaspee" became such a terror that small boats hesitated to attempt the pas- sage from one town to another. After making a hurried search of the vessels boarded, Duddingston would usually find some discrepancy in the payment of proper duties to the government, where-
upon he would bring charges against the shipowners.
It was only a short time after the offen- sive operations of the "Gaspee " had begun that letters of protest were sent to her commander by the Governor of Rhode Island. Insolent answers by Duddingston only served to increase the smoldering fires of public indignation. Finally, Admiral Montague, the Commander of the British fleet, wrote to the Governor, ordering him not to interfere with the operations of the "Gaspee " in any way. The Admiral's letter was even more insolent in tone than Lieu- tenant Duddingston's had been. During the course of this correspondence be- tween the Governor and the British com- manders, the Rhode Island people longed to serve the "Gaspee" in the same way that the citizens of Newport had treated a disagreeable guest in its waters.
On June 9th, 1772, Capt. Thomas Lind- say set out from the harbor of Newport in- tending to come up to Providence. He ex- pected that the "Gaspee " would catch sight of him and that he would very probably be stopped and his cargo searched, but he made up his mind not to allow this if he could help it. With all his sails spread he headed out of the harbor and started on his way. Just as he expected, he had not gone far before the "Gaspee" appeared in pur- suit. The customary shot was fired across his bow, as a warning for him to stop, but without paying any attention to this
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the gallant Captain kept on his way. For several miles there was a hot pursuit, but it was a long chase and the packet was hard to overtake.
About seven miles below Providence the shore runs out in a long spit of land called Namquit Point (now known as Gaspee Point). The little packet sailed round this point leaning far over in the brisk wind. In thehopesof overtakingher the "Gaspee " tried a short cut across the shallow place, but the water was even shallower than her Commander had thought, and to the rage of the Commander and crew, she went aground. There was considerable running and shouting on board of her; orders were given and followed out in haste, but they were of no use. The "Gaspee " lay there in the hot summer sunlight, leaning over more and more as the hours passed by and the tide ebbed. It was soon quite evident that her chance to catch the packet was gone and that she would have to stay where she was until high tide, and that would not be until 3 o'clock next morning.
Captain Lindsay sailed leisurely on to Providence, arriving about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and went straight to the home of Mr. John Brown, who was a close friend of his. He related his experiences of the day and described the helpless plight of the English schooner. The news spread fast and it did not take the citizens of Provi- dence long to decide that now was the chance to rid themselves of their hated tor- mentor. About two hours after sunset that same evening, the roll of a drum sounded in the streets and the voice of a man was heard calling out in a loud tone, "The 'Gas- pee' is run aground off Namquit Point and cannot float before 3:00 o'clock tomorrow morning. Those people who feel disposed to go and destroy that troublesome vessel are invited to repair to Mr. James Sabin's house this evening." There was plenty of enthusiasm over the suggestion and before 9:00 o'clock that evening a large company of men had gathered in a room of Mr. Sabin's house. This house was an inn that stood at the corner of what is now South Main and Planet Streets, just opposite Fenner's Wharf.
The men who gathered for this venture came armed with guns, pistols, swords and clubs. Those who owned no arms them-
selves borrowed from their neighbors. Bul- lets were scarce, so a fire was lighted in the great fireplace and lead was hurriedly melted and poured into bullet moulds. By 10:00 o'clock everything was ready. The men filled eight large longboats that had been moored at Fenner's Wharf. The oar locks and oars were carefully muffled and the expedition set out. Captain Whipple was put in command.
Down they went through the darkness past Fox Point, around Field's Point and so ontoward wherethe "Gaspee "lay. They ap- proached very close to the schooner before the watch on deck discovered their presence. Then his cry rang out and brought the Com- mander and his sleepy crew to the deck. After a brief exchange of demands and oaths the men in the boats began the attack. A few shots were fired injuring one or two of the "Gaspee " crew, and in a few minutes a vicioushand-to-hand fight wasunderway. Theattackerssoon gottheupperhand, made prisoners of the Commander and crew, and quickly transported them over to the War- wick shore, where they were put into the hands of willing assistants.
After this was done the boats returned to where the " Gaspee" lay and she was set on fire. Silently the Providence men rested on their oars and watched the flames as they leaped from one end of the deck to the other and up through the sails and rig- ging. Suddenly their boats were shaken by the dull roar of an explosion. A mass of burning wood and rigging was shot high above the schooner and fell back into the water with a great splash. Bits of burning wood were thrown through the air, even as far as where the longboats lay.
The powder in the "Gaspee" had ex- ploded, blowing her to bits. Nothing was now left but the floating wreckage and a part of the hull. The night's work was finished and the "Gaspee" was destroyed. Very quietly the longboats were rowed to town. The men who were in them separated and returned, each to his own home.
The strange thing is that the authorities who wished to punish these men for burn- ing the schooner never were able to find out who they were. Almost everyone in town must have known, but no one would tell.
Governor Wanton offered a reward of
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$500 for any information as to who they were. The King of England offered $5,000 reward for the leader of the expedition and $2,500 for the arrest of any of the men who
had been with him, but no one could be bribed or frightened into betraying the patriots who had delivered their Colony from the hated "Gaspee."
NEWS FROM LEXINGTON
"THE regular weekly issue of the Provi- dence Gazette and Country Journal published on April 22, 1775, carried no screaming headlines such as "War Clouds Threaten," or "Enemy Invades Mas- sachusetts," although Page Three of that quaint pioneer sheet did include a very matter-of-fact item to the effect that advice had been received from Boston on the previous Wednesday evening that a detachment of the King's troops had fired upon and killed a number of in- habitants of Lexington, about twelve miles north of Boston, and, as a result, "an engagement had happened." When this alarming news had been transmitted to the people of Providence on Wednes- day, a great mass meeting was held and attended by prominent citizens, many enthusiastic patriots, and the officers of the several local independent military companies and of the militia. Following the meeting, two "expresses," or mes- sengers, were dispatched for Lexington to obtain authentic accounts of what had transpired there, while other messengers were sent to different parts of the Colony and to Connecticut. The messengers that went to Lexington returned on Friday, the day before the publication of the news article, enabling the local paper to print a brief outline of the gallant stand of the patriots on April 19, 1775 - the engage- ment that marked the beginning of the end of British rule over the Colonies.
General Gage, learning that the people were gathering military stores at Concord, sent about eight hundred men, under Colonel Smith and Major Pitcairn, to destroy them. The patriots of Boston, however, were on the alert, and hurried out messengers to alarm the country. When the British reached Lexington, they found a small company of minute- men, as they were called, gathered on the
village green. Riding up to them, Pitcairn shouted, "Disperse, you rebels; lay down your arms !" They hesitated. A skirmish ensued, in which several Americans - the first martyrs of the Revolution - were killed. The British pushed on and de- stroyed the stores, but they were driven away in alarm when they observed the size and determination of the American militia. The enemy's retreat was none too soon, for every man, every boy large enough to hold a rifle, hurried to avenge the death of the fallen heroes who had refused to disperse. From behind trees, fences, buildings, and rocks, in front, flank and rear, so effective a fire was poured upon the enemy that none of the British would have reached the city alive if reinforcements had not been sent out from Boston. As it was, nearly three hundred were lost.
When the full details of the Battle of Lexington had trickled into Providence, the town must have been tense with excitement. Open warfare with Great Britain had long been accepted as a certainty in Rhode Island but such news as this must have caused many heated discussions on the street corners and in the taverns, and, very likely, fears were expressed in many quarters that the enemy might next strike in this Colony where the King's rule had been none too popular for some little time. Further- more, Rhode Island lost no time in its war preparations. First, the General Assembly ordered an "Army of Observa- tion " to be raised without any delay, and the militia companies were instructed to begin a regular schedule of drilling. This Army of Observation was raised in the name of the British King, and it appeared that the intention was not hostile to English interests. In polite language, it was raised for the purpose of repelling any
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"insult or violence that may be offered to the inhabitants," but the promptness in which this emergency force was put in the field, and the zeal which the patriots displayed in rallying to arms must have troubled His Majesty somewhat and caused him to surmise that Rhode Island's military preparations might have had a far different meaning from what appeared on the surface.
Evidently, Nathanael Greene heard the tidings of the fight at Lexington late in the evening of April 19, after the report had passed on, from farm house to farm house, from town to town, until it reached the Greene homestead in Coventry. He mounted his horse instantly and rode to the alarm-post of the Kentish Guards at Greenwich, stopping at the home of a friend named Madison to borrow a few dollars in hard money. The Guards set out by dawn with Varnum in command. It was in the early hours of the morning that they marched, at a fast pace, through Providence. John Howland re- ported that, "I viewed the company as they marched up the street and observed Nathanael Greene, with his musket on his shoulder, in the ranks, as a private. I distinguished Mr. Greene, whom I had frequently seen, by the motion of his shoulder in the march, as one of his legs was shorter than the other." As the Guards were about to cross into Mas- sachusetts near Pawtucket, Governor Wanton intercepted the march with orders delivered by messenger for the guards- men to turn back. The Tory Governor's orders were obeyed by all except four who continued in the direction of Boston - one of these was Nathanael Greene and two of the others were his brothers.
This Rhode Island Governor who plainly showed the direction of his sympathies was suspended for having in various ways "manifested his intentions to defeat the good people of these colonies in their present glorious struggle to trans- mit inviolate to posterity those sacred rights they have received from their ancestors." A Committee of Safety was appointed which, with the two highest military officers, was to superintend the paying and furnishing the troops and direct their movements when called away
from the Colony. The number of men for the new Army of Observation was fixed at fifteen hundred. They were to be formed into one brigade, under the command of a brigadier general, and the brigade divided into three regiments, each one of which was to be commanded by one colonel, one lieutenant-colonel and one major. Each regiment was to consist of eight com- panies, one of them to be a train of artillery and have the use of the Colony's field pieces. On May 8, 1775, Henry Ward, Secretary of the Colony and authorized to act in the place of the disqualified Governor Wanton, signed and sealed the commission that made Nathanael Greene, Rhode Island's greatest soldier of all times, a brigadier general in command of the Colony's little army that was soon to distinguish itself in the field.
It is a pity that the muster rolls of those companies of Rhode Islanders who rallied to defend the liberties of the nation in the making, were destroyed or have never been found. Records of the soldiers who were fired by the same spirit that sent Lexington and Concord folks and their neighbors in headlong pursuit after the retreating Britishers are few; the State archives are bare, and what few muster and pay rolls remain are scattered and in private hands. The names of all the com- missioned officers are in the Colonial Records, but the official State papers contain no lists of the non-commissioned officers and privates. Some of this valu- able information has been uncovered from other sources but the bulk of the docu- ments that contain the patriots' names and ranks have never been brought to light.
A letter to Mrs. Greene written by the Brigadier General from Providence before he departed for the front clearly discloses the determination of a typical Rhode Island patriot who stood ready to defend common rights and repel "bold invaders of the sons of freedom." This communica- tion penned on June 2, 1775, is quoted in part, "I am determined to defend my rights, and maintain my freedom, or sell my life in the attempt; and I hope the righteous God that rules the world will bless the armies of America, and receive the spirits of those whose lot it is to fall in action into the paradise of God, into whose
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protection I commend you and myself ; and am, with truest regard, your loving husband, N. Greene." Greene found the Rhode Island troops encamped at Jamaica Plain, poorly disciplined and in need of complete reorganization. Through intel- ligent management and great personal influence he soon restored a high order of military discipline and this was strictly maintained thereafter.
At home, every precaution was taken to protect the Colony in case of invasion. Fortifications were thrown along the shores and upon high ground overlooking the waters of Narragansett Bay. Rhode Islanders inaugurated and enthusiastically supported the movement that finally ended in the building of the first American Naval fleet; the famous Beacon Pole alarm device was erected on Prospect Hill
in Providence; soldiers were recruited for active service, and every man in the Colony, of age and physically fit, was required to hold himself in readiness for any duty that his country might require of him. The torch was applied when determined Rhode Islanders burned the hated "Gaspee," the fires of war were fanned into flames the day after Paul Revere rode through the Massachusetts countryside with his startling message; the long-anticipated conflagration broke forth'on June 17th, when a stubborn force of little-trained farmer soldiers entrenched themselves on Bunker Hill and fought to the end for freedom. The blow had been struck; the time for diplomacy had passed; a nation of liberty-loving men and women plunged into a bitter struggle that could end only in victory.
THE CALL TO ARMS
T HERE is nothing more inspiring for loyal, patriotic Rhode Islanders than a parade of the several military organiza- tions which today compose the Rhode Island Militia. These Commands, author- ized by State charter, never fail to bring forth genuine enthusiasm and heavy ap- plause whenever they pass in review to the tune of "Yankee Doodle," with their officers and troopers arrayed in colorful uniforms and brilliant trappings which have long been discarded for the sombre but practical olive-drabs and grays. There is something romantic and ad- venturesome about cockades, epaulettes, shoulder straps, ruffles, gold braid and shiny boots, even though they were more appropriate for parading and strutting about in the presence of impressionable young ladies than they were for actual combat service in the field.
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