USA > Rhode Island > The "Old Stone Bank" history of Rhode Island, Vol. III > Part 25
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Olney was cited for bravery in the Battle of Long Island and in the clash with the British forces at Harlem. Unfor- tunately, his company was delayed on the march and it was a little too late in cross- ing the Delaware River to assist in the Christmas Day fighting at Trenton. At that time the enlistments of the three Rhode Island regiments expired and it was said that Washington expressed regret that he was to lose valuable men upon whom he could always depend for active fighting. By special request of General Mifflin who earnestly requested that the Rhode Islanders remain at the front for at least one more month, the local regiments enlisted to a man. Because of this unself- ish display of patriotism, these loyal Rhode Islanders were with Washington
in the second battle at Trenton, and they helped score the decisive victory at Princeton. In the latter engagement Stephen Olney earned for himself the honors that entitle him to be immortalized as a hero. Col. James Monroe of the Pennsylvania troops fell wounded when he attempted to rally his disorganized ranks. It was in the beginning of the battle when the Pennsylvanians were driven back by the enemy and they rushed through the ranks of the Rhode Island regiment. Captain Jeremiah Olney's company was in formation just behind the Pennsylvania contingent and as the latter retreated, he stopped some of them and compelled them to form in rank. Stephen Olney observed what had happened, rushed to the aid of the fallen Col. Monroe, raised and carried him to a place of safety. It all happened in a minute, for Stephen was soon back again in the thick of the fighting, but little did he realize that he had just borne a future President of the United States in his arms. Col. Monroe was the fifth President and he was in office at the time when the Providence Institution for Savings was founded. It has been said that Stephen Olney never spoke or wrote of this act of battlefield heroism except when closely questioned, thereby marking him as a true hero, unspoiled by ostentation and boasting.
Shortly thereafter he returned to the quiet farm in North Providence for a brief visit and was then informed that he had been elected to the rank of Captain. He rejoined Washington's army at Peeks- kill, fought with great valor at the Battle of Red Bank, and spent part of that terrible winter with the suffering patriots at Valley Forge. He participated in the Battle of Monmouth and came home with the Rhode Island regiment to take part in the action at Portsmouth. He was later wounded in the left arm at the Battle of Springfield.
At Yorktown, where General Cornwallis and his veteran British Army had been surrounded by the American troops and their French allies, Capt. Olney's Rhode Island company was selected by General Washington to lead the charge. Over the parapet he went, leading his men against
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the enemy; he met stubborn resistance and was severely wounded in the en- counter that followed. Although weak from the loss of blood, he continued to fight on and encourage his men who forced their way into the fortifications and drove out the British. He formed his troops in orderly fashion inside the fort and then fell to the earth apparently stricken with mortal wounds. But he recovered quickly, and in a few weeks he
was back with his regiment. In March 1781, he resigned his commission.
Captain Olney was a member of the General Assembly and President of the Town Council at North Providence. He lived long enough to participate in the greeting extended to Lafayette when the latter visited America in 1824. He died in 1832 and was buried in the family burial ground on his own North Provi- dence farm.
COLONEL WILLIAM BARTON
W ILLIAM BARTON was born in Warren, Rhode Island, on May 26, 1748, the son of Benjamin Barton. Following the period in his youth when he enjoyed the advantages of a common school education, he was bound out by his parents to learn a trade, and this must have been the hatter's trade since records show that he later opened a shop, devoted to the mak- ing and selling of head-gear, somewhere on South Main Street in Warren. At the age of twenty-two he married Rhoda Carver of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and the couple had nine children, seven sons and two daughters.
Like many of the American patriots of those stirring times he enjoyed the com- forts of a home, happiness with his family, and the benefits from an honest business, nevertheless he loved his country, re- sented the oppressions of the mother country, and was torn between duties to his family and the need for fearless men to enter the fray in defense of life and liberty. Naturally, he was disturbed by the continual rumors of British war prep- arations and British oppressions that were brought from Boston, the seat of war, daily, but until June 17, 1775, the mem- orable day of action at Bunker Hill, William Barton had not made up his mind to join the American forces. But, when an official dispatch was received in Rhode Island wherein the acting com- mander of the Americans reported the termination of the battle, its disastrous results and the death of Warren and others who fell in the bloody engagement,
William Barton, the hatter of Warren, delayed no longer. He bade farewell to his little family, and like a true patriot, slung his musket over his shoulder, mounted his horse, and hurried to Boston where he offered himself as a volunteer. Since Barton entered the service prob- ably on June 19, 1775, and the British did not evacuate Boston until March 17, 1776, military duties in that particular war area must have been most arduous during the intervening nine months.
The third Barton son, patriotically named George Washington, was born in December following the enlistment, and, at this time, the father announced that he had decided to serve his country as long as there was need for him at the front; he turned over his business to a Mr. Lathrop of Warren and turned his face in the direction of ultimate victory in the cause of American independence. Entering the service as a corporal, he was rapidly ad- vanced to the rank of captain. On the outskirts of British-ruled Boston, Barton took a leading and active part in American war pursuits, working at throwing up redoubts under the very guns of the enemy, intercepting foraging parties, and fighting in many lively skirmishes with detachments of British soldiers. He not only became acquainted with danger, but he learned the value of military discipline, and obtained first-hand knowledge of military tactics. Under Generals Wash- ington, Lee and Ward he assisted in the reorganization of the badly organized and disciplined troops, he cooperated in
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the drive to provide ample arms and equipment, and he proved efficient in carrying out orders to better the sanitary conditions of the hastily-prepared camps and strongholds.
The situation back home in Rhode Island was critical. A British fleet under Captain Wallace had so annoyed com- merce, seized provisions, and threatened the seaports that many of the inhabitants had moved inland, especially the residents of Newport. Early in October 1775, the arrival of additional enemy ships caused the menacing demand to be made upon the Island of Rhode Island and Conanicut for live stock. A force of 600 militia under Esek Hopkins was sent to Newport to repel the anticipated attack. Conster- nation and anxiety prevailed, many inhabitants fled, the streets were thronged with vehicles loaded with household effects and family treasures; business was paralyzed, all was confusion. But, Cap- tain Wallace evidently changed his mind, or decided not to destroy a town that might be important for his purposes in the future. On the other hand he sailed up the Bay to Bristol, and bombarded the place for an hour when his demands were refused. After damaging many structures, driving out many people and taking a generous quantity of sheep, he withdrew and a general evacuation of Newport ensued. It is estimated that nearly three quarters of the Newport inhabitants departed leaving the Tories, or British sympathizers, in control, and this control remained as an obstacle to the progress of liberty until the British forces arrived in December 1776, and then the enemy enjoyed absolute domination over the southern end of the island.
When Captain Barton completed his term of service with the forces near Boston he returned to Rhode Island, where he attended to business matters, made cer- tain arrangements for the comfort of his family, and planned to rejoin his former military post in the vicinity of Roxbury. However, the situation of affairs at New- port, heretofore briefly described, brought about a change in his plans. It was found expedient to station a force of American militia on the island, and Barton was appointed in command with the rank of
Colonel, later quartering himself in a private dwelling on the main road just outside of the town of Newport. On duty in that troubled war area Colonel Barton became a great favorite with the few patriots remaining in the section. He was long remembered for his social qualities, his manners, his constant good humor, his patriotic zeal, and they say that he had an inexhaustible store of anecdotes and humorous songs. Also, he spent a lot of time reconnoitering about the Island, poking into every nook and corner. Hence every spot of ground in that region had become familiar, a circumstance that lessened the danger a little, in the historic exploit he afterwards performed in that neighborhood. But, when the British fleet finally put in its appearance at the mouth of the Bay, and it was seen that Newport could make no adequate defense, Colonel Barton was ordered to take his men over into Tiverton, where a fort was erected. The guns from this fort helped many an American sea captain success- fully run the gauntlet, elude the blockade of British cruisers, and sail valuable prizes up the Sakonnet River, through the nar- row channel near present Stone Bridge, into Mount Hope Bay and to safety at Taunton or elsewhere.
Passing over many interesting but his- torically unimportant events in the life of Barton at this stage of his war experiences, and dwelling no longer on the subject of the intolerable conditions that existed on the enemy-held Island of Rhode Island, we come to an amazing and amusing episode. In brief, Colonel Barton con- ceived a daring plan to capture General Prescott, then in command of the British forces on the island. In June 1777, a patriot by the name of Coffin escaped from the island and was brought to Col. Bar- ton's headquarters. Coffin related the information that Prescott was quartered at the home of a Mr. Overing, still stand- ing today on the West Main Road, prac- tically on the Portsmouth-Middletown town dividing line. The house is today the residence of Mr. Dan W. Jones and his family and can be recognized by the marker at the entrance, upon which is inscribed certain facts concerning the historical significance of the structure.
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A British deserter confirmed Coffin's report strengthening Barton in the be- lief of the possibility of effecting a surprise.
Barton's expedition started on the 4th of July one year after the Declaration of Independence and after a roundabout trip through Mount Hope Bay, and con- suming several days in recruiting a force of forty volunteers, all sworn to secrecy, and stopping at Bristol to perfect details, and at Warren to see his family, Colonel Barton finally reassembled his party at Warwick Neck. On July 9th the party left the west side of the Bay and silently approached the island heading for a point not far distant from the Overing house. To make a long story short, General Prescott was surprised in the quiet of his bedroom, rudely aroused, and jostled out into the night, hurried through stubbly corn fields, and pushed into the waiting boat. He was successfully transported to the Warwick shore, and imprisoned in a house on the Old Warwick Road. It is believed that a considerable part of the original house is standing on the same site today.
Three days later Prescott was ex- changed for an American prisoner of war, General Lee of Connecticut, and Colonel Barton became a national hero. Congress voted him an elegant sword and sent him a vote of thanks for an important service to his country. More important than the successful carrying out of the purpose of this exploit, the affair incited the enthu- siasm of the people and convinced them that their foes were not invincible and it gave the British something to think about in these parts where they were doing about as they pleased.
Later Barton received his commission of Brevet Colonel from Congress and that removed him from a situation where he had been unusually useful in more ways than one, and not the least perhaps in bringing aid to the distressed families of Newport. The army, being provided
with officers, he was not immediately needed in actual service, therefore he had an opportunity to see to the affairs of his family. He eagerly awaited the moment when he might again be ordered to serve his country.
Later when the British sacked Bristol and burned many of the lovely Colonial dwellings and the word was given that Warren would be the next point of attack, Colonel Barton hurriedly conferred with General Sullivan in Providence and then, accompanied by a few horsemen, galloped on towards Warren gathering recruits in Barrington and other places on the way. Arriving in Warren, his birthplace, he found the enemy in possession prepared to burn and pillage. When the Americans began to pour into the town following Barton, the British, hearing that a very large army was in their rear, began to retreat. The little force of Barton con- tinued to harass the enemy's rear, firing being continued by both sides until the British took to boats either at Poppa- squash or at Bristol Ferry. Col. Barton received a bullet wound in his thigh and was carried to Providence on a litter. He was confined to his bed for three months and for some time his life was in imminent danger. As a result he was unable to join General Sullivan in the Rhode Island ex- pedition, although he was later entrusted with offices of public trust.
He became active in the effort to release prisoners of war until the end of hostilities and he lived to see peace once more restored to his war-torn country, to see his country established in an honorable and well-earned independence. At the close of the war he found himself the father of six sons, to which were added a seventh, and two daughters. He died October 22, 1831, at the age of 85, one of the great heroes of the War for Inde- pendence, a Rhode Islander who suc- cessfully planned and completed one of the most hazardous deeds in the history of warfare.
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JOHN HOWLAND
ITOF TT was a cold and stormy day in the fall of the year 1620, a strong wind was blowing and a bleak, cheerless sky hung over the mid-Atlantic. A little square- rigged sailing vessel, the "Mayflower," was being swirled and beaten unmercifully by mountainous waves. Orders had been given to "furl the canvas and lay to." Below decks a hundred bedraggled souls prayed fervently, - on the wave-lashed main deck several stout-hearted amateur mariners clung to their posts. Suddenly the boat rolled and dipped, an onrushing wave surged over the gunwales. "Man overboard, man overboard," was the wild cry scarcely audible above the whistling gale as it swept through the rigging. Who was he ? What happened to him? According to the words of Governor William Bradford, he was "a lustie yonge man" who "in a mightie storm coming above the gratings, was, with a seele of the shipe thrown into ye sea: but it pleased God yt. he caught hould of ye top-saile halliards which hunge over heard and rane out at length; yet he hild his hould (though he was sundrie fadoms under water) till he was hild up by ye same rope to ye brime of ye water, and then with a boat hooke and other means he got into ye shipe againe and his life saved; and though he was something ill with it, yet he lived many years after, and became a profitable member, both in church and commone wealth."
But now let us pass over four genera- tions of the Howland family and focus our attention upon another John Howland, the namesake and great-great-grandson of the John Howland of "Mayflower" fame. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, October 31, 1757, of humble Christian parents. He was a bright active youngster craving travel and high adventure, but stronger than these was his yearning for knowledge. Being denied the opportunity to attend school, there being no public school in Newport during this period, he was obliged to seek an education for him- self. While not engaged in doing chores on his father's little farm, John could be
seen down at the Newport docks quizzing sailors about foreign countries, and listen- ing intently while some weather-beaten old salt related a weird yarn about the mysteries of the South Seas or the giant ice flows of the North Atlantic. At home he busied himself with the elementary studies of reading and writing, and before he was ten years of age he had read a number of books in his father's library, and before he was thirteen his love for reading had led him through three dif- ferent editions of the Bible. His favorite book during his boyhood, however, was an illustrated copy of John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" that his father purchased for him in New York. This he read over and over again until he could quote a number of passages by memory.
About the middle of his thirteenth year, Benjamin Gladding, a cousin of his father's, visited the Howland farm in Newport. Mr. Gladding was the owner of a hair-dressing parlor in the town of Providence, and during his visit to New- port he urged Mr. Howland to allow one of his sons to return with him and become an apprentice in his shop. Young John was eager to go. He pictured himself on the streets of Providence, a man of the world; he swelled with pride when he thought that someday he might powder and curl the wig of the governor of the colony or some famous traveling general or statesman, perhaps even Washington himself. After a considerable amount of coaxing, his parents reluctantly gave their consent and John, "fitted off with a new pair of leather breeches of sheepskin for Sundies and Striped Trowsers and other articles composing the common dress of boys" of that period, "embarked at Bannister's wharf on the eighth day of April, 1770, "in a packet bound for Providence. In Providence, which was then only half the size of his native town of Newport, he went to live at the little home of Mr. Gladding, located on the present site of the Grosvenor Building. John did the chores about the house, worked faithfully at the hair-dressing
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parlor learning the trade, and on Sundays donned the leather sheepskin breeches and accompanied the Gladding family to Reverend Snow's "new light Meeting House." One Sunday morning John was seated, with four or five other boys, in a pew near to the one occupied by church- man Joseph Martin, the gentleman who, with the aid of a long walnut cane, kept peace and quiet among the congregation during the lengthy services. One of the boys with whom John was sitting sud- denly dropped a handful of chestnuts on the floor, a signal for the rest to slide from their seats and "scrabble," causing not a little noise and confusion. John did not participate, but sat quietly, listening intently to Reverend Snow. Joseph Martin, hearing the noise, glanced over, and seeing no other head but young How- land's above the top of the pew adminis- tered a sharp crack with the walnut cane and growled a threatening "be still there." John, looking somewhat perplexed and surprised, merely rubbed his head in silence, but the next Sunday morning found him at Doctor Rowland's Congre- gational meeting house on College Street, and strangely enough he continued to wor- ship at the First Congregational Church as long as he lived.
While at work in the barber shop shav- ing the town worthies, powdering wigs and twisting pig-tails, young Howland heard fervid discussions in opposition to the duty on tea, the Stamp Act, and the searching by the British of American vessels in Narragansett Bay for contra- band goods. One afternoon news spread about the town of Providence that the "Gaspee," one of the British ships engaged in this latter practise, had run aground several miles down the bay. Excitement ran high and "before dark eight boats were manned, and the boys of the town took another boat and chose for captain Ben Hammond, a fear-nothing fellow with a lock of knotty red hair standing up through the crown of his hat." John was seated in the bow of Hammond's boat and had just received orders "to cast off the painter and shove of the Bow," when who should arrive at the wharf but Mr. Gladding. Spying John in the boat he reached out, grasped him by the wrist
and "halled" him to the wharf saying "you shant go with these fellows to get your head broke." Thus young John Howland was deprived of taking part in the famous expedition, when the British schooner "Gaspee" was burned by the irate citizens of Providence.
On the afternoon of April 19th, 1775, a messenger arrived from Boston, shouting, "War, war, boys there is war, The Regu- lars have marched out of Boston a great many men Killed - war, War Boys !" The next day John was an interested spectator as Colonel Varnum and his well- trained Greenwich Company marched through the streets of Providence amid the huzzahs and bravos of the entire pop- ulation, on their intended march to Bos- ton. Young Howland took particular notice of "Nathaniel Greene with his shouldered musket in the ranks of a pri- vate" as he limped courageously along, little thinking he was watching the man who would one day bear the title of Com- mander-in-Chief of the Southern Army.
The young barber was stirred with the thrill of war, and when the first call for volunteers reached Providence, John Howland, then only eighteen years of age, was one of the first to enlist. He served fourteen months as a private in the army which followed Washington from New York to Delaware, suffering the tortures of starvation and exposure to the cold blasts of winter. Howland's enlistment expired when his regiment was quartered near Morristown, New Jersey, and, not receiving any allowance from the Con- tinental Congress for traveling expenses, he set out on foot for Providence and reached his destination hungry and almost barefoot, after experiencing twenty-one days of sickness enroute. He then re- turned to complete his apprenticeship with Mr. Gladding and several years later opened a very high class hairdressing parlor of his own on what is now lower North Main Street. Here he became a close friend of the leading politicians and professional men of the town, and their influence inspired him to take an active part in public affairs.
In 1789, Howland became associated with the newly organized Providence As- sociation of Mechanics and Manufac-
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turers, and used this influential body as a medium to accomplish one of the greatest desires of his life, - free public schools in Rhode Island. It was John Howland who petitioned the General Assembly and rallied sufficient political support to secure the enactment of the state free school law in 1800. He was immediately appointed a member of the Providence School Com- mittee, - an office which he held with great success for twenty-one years, retir- ing only when the demand upon his time by other interests became too great. In 1818, he was elected to the important office of treasurer of the Town of Providence.
In October of the following year, through the efforts of Mr. Howland, a group of public-spirited Rhode Island citizens assembled to formulate plans for the establishment in Providence of a sav- ings bank which, acting as a community servant, would afford the people of this locality a place for the safe keeping of their savings with the additional advan- tage of accumulating interest. Accord- ingly, on November 20, 1819, the first savings bank in Providence commenced business under the name of the Providence Institution for Savings. Mr. Howland was chosen the first treasurer and under the conservative management which he in- augurated, the deposits grew rapidly dur- ing his twenty-one years of faithful service. He resigned at the age of eighty-three.
Although being a soldier in the Revolu- tion and a volunteer to defend Rhode
Island in the War of 1812, he was a strong advocate of peace, believing that interna- tional differences could be successfully settled by arbitration. He openly opposed the Mexican War in several newspaper articles published in Providence, and was one of the founders and leaders of the Rhode Island Peace Society.
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