CHAPTER MILITARY New England Confederation.-First Indian Revolution-Shay's Indian Wars.-The VI. HISTORY. Troubles.-King Rebellion.-War Philip's War--French of 1813. and N 1642 the attitude of the Indians, on the main land, created suspicions of hostility. The severe laws of the colony had been rigidly enforced and the free instinct of the natives had been so Their unfriendliness was too bridled as to cause a feeling of unrest. apparent. The Plymouth colony resolved to raise thirty men for an Firearms had prudentially been withheld expedition against them. from them by order of the colony, and a force of this number was The court was hastily called together, thought to be formidable. September 7, Edward Dillingham and Richard Chadwell of Sandwich, Anthony Anable and John Cooper of Barnstable, and William A company was formed with Palmer of Yarmouth being present. Palmer, lieutenant: and Peregrine Miles Standish, captain; J\`illiam White, ensign. Edmund Freeman. Anthony Thachcr and Thomas Dimoc were appointed members of the council of war. A confederation of a portion of the infant colonies of Sew England was formed in 1643 for the promotion of union, offensive and defensive, in any difficulties with the Indians. This measure had been contemplated for several years by those colonies, and this confederation, The United Colonies of Sew England, existed until 1686, when affairs were materially changed by the commission from This first spirit of confederation, which became King James II. later the basis of our national existence, having been perfected, orders were issued for every town within the jurisdiction of the court to provide ammunition and arms, and be ready for prompt action. Of the thirty men mentioned, eight were from the CapeSandwich and Barnstable furnishing three each, and Yarmouth two. These men were each to be provided with a musket, firelock or matchlock, a pair of bandoliers or pouches for powder and bullets, a Each sword and belt, a worm and scourer, a rest and a knapsack. private soldier was to have eighteen shillings per month when in in the towns of miliFrom this date was the establishment service. I 3fII,IT.\I:\~ IIISTOICJ'. 63 I L c. Barntary companies, the training field, and other warlike measures. stable, Sandwich and Yarmouth-then the only incorporated towns on the Cape-at once formed mili:ary companies, and the two latter towns provided places of safety for the women and children. The were always begun with prayer, and none could exercises of training belong to the company who were not freemen and of " good report." The colony, with every town on the alert, awaited the development of a struggle which arose in 1643 between Uncas and the Pequots, who, with the Narragansetts, had agreed in 1637 not to make war upon each other without first an appeal to the English. Uncas conceived that an attempt had been made upon his life by a Pequot, which resulted in a war between Cncas and hliantonomi; and the latter sachem, although he could bring one thousand warriors to the field, was defeated and taken prisoner by Incas. The prisoner was put to death by the advice of the commissioners, at their meeting in The exasperation of the NarraBoston, in September of that year. gansetts \vas beyond control; they charged the English with a want of good faith. and preparations were made for hostile movements. The Snrragansetts resolved to secure the head of Incas, and the English resolved to defend him. In addition to what had already been done, more men were raised. This conflict would draw from the towns of the Cape in proportion to the number of its people, as they were included in the confederation. Massachusetts at once raised one hundred and ninety men, Plymouth colony 40, Connecticut 40, and New Haven 30. The Plymouth quota, under Captain Miles Standish, went as far as Rehoboth; but while the English were advancing, the Narragansett sachems were in Boston, suing for peace, which was granted, with the requirement of Thus closed the first Indian troubles heavy penalties and burdens. of the colony. The Ijecember court of 16.X directed the several towns to send deputies, April 1, 1653, " to treat and conclude on such military afiairs as may tend to our present and future safety." Variances had arisen between England and Holland, and the lowering clouds of war, with Indian cruelties, hung over the colony. Sandwich sent James Skiff ; Sergeant Rider and John Gorham; Barnstable, Lieutenant Yartnouth, Fuller and Sergeant Thomas Hinckley; and Eastham, which town had now been incorporated, John Doane and Richard Sparrow. Sixty men were ordered to be raised in this colony. Of these Sandwich. Yarmouth and Barnstable were to furnish six each, and Eastham three. Provisions were made for raising money for the further enlistment of soldiers and procuring arms, and a certain number were to take their arms to meeting on the Sabbath. In 1654 a deputation of " horse sachem, and, to and foot" was sent with a message to the Niantick 64 HISTORY OF UARKSTAULE COU.\iTY. make up a safe and formidable body as a guard, Sandwich, Eastham and Yarmouth furnished four men each, and Barnstable five, as their quota. As yet no outbreak had occurred, but the threatening appearances occasioned by jealousies necessitated continued readiness on the part of the colonies. In 1655 troops of horse were required by the court, and the proportion of the four towns of the Cape was three each. In 1658 a military system was perfected, by which a small standing army and the militia of the towns comprised the colonial force. A council of war was called at Plymouth in 1667, the confederation apprehending danger from the Dutch and French-their common enemies-and the Plymouth colony suspected the Indians, under King Philip, whose " frequent assembling and various movements indicated war." A commission of armed men met Philip at Taunton soon after, who agreed to leave his arms with the English, as a security But this did not allay the suspicions nor that no war was in his heart. of the colonies. The Indians of the Cape in 1671, and watchfulness More again in 1674, pledged themselves, by their sachems, to fidelity. men were pressed into the service, of whom Barnstable and Sandwich But the same year furnished ten, Yarmouth nine, and Eastham five. Philip entered into a treaty of peace, which for several years allowed the colonies comparative quiet, and the men of the Cape towns to return home to be in readiness when called. In 16'74 two Indians, one of whom was Philip's counselor, were arrested for the supposed murder of another Indian found dead in Middleboro pond. They were tried and executed by order of the court. Philip regarded the execution as an outrage. Hostilities commenced. An army was soon in the field-158 men from Plymouth The colony: 527 from the Massachusetts: and 315 frcm Connecticut. towns of Sandwich and Barnstable furnished sixteen each, I'armouth Again, in December of the same year, fifteen, and Eastham eight. Skirmishes SLICnearly as many men were required of these towns. ceeded, then a general war, which was disastrous to all concerned. The Cape was only affected by the greatly increased expenses and the loss of men. The Indians of the Cape remained neutral, and were considered In 1675 one reverse at a defense to Sandwich and the towns below. Kehoboth, early in the war, cost the Cape twenty men-Barnstable six, Yarmouth and Sandwich five each, and Eastham four. The almost entire command of Captain Pierce of Scituate-fifty men and twenty Indians-was massacred, including the captain himself. The names of the Barnstable men lost were: Samuel Child, Lieutenant Fuller, John Lewis, Eleazur Cobb, Samuel Linnet and Samuel Boreman or Bowman. We areunable to find the list from the other towns. The Indians lost were Cape Indians, and only one was permitted to return. The Indian Amos, who escaped, was of the Barnstable quota, and not only fought bravely to the last, but practiced the usual strategy to escape. He saw that the hostile tribe had blackened their faces to distinguish themselves from the friendly Indians, and as a cz'~r~~i~~r YLXSOY~ wet some powder, blackened his own face and passed through he safely. Before the close of the year, seven hundred Indian warriors had fallen, among them twenty-five sachems; and many deaths followed from wounds. Many women and children were slain in the burning Of the colonists, six captains and eight5 of six hundred wigwams. privates were slain and many wounded. In 1676 a new levy of men The quota from the Cape towns was: from the towns was required. Earnstable, thirty: Sandwich, twenly-eight; Yarmouth, twenty-six: and Eastham, eighteen. X11 boys under sixteen years were required to join the town guard. Three months later Barnstable was required to furnish sixteen pounds and fifteen men: Sandwich the same; Yarmouth fourteen pounds and thirteen men; and Eastham ten pounds five shillings and ten men. In July of the same year other heavy war rates were levied on the towns. August 12, 1676, King Philip, the deadly foe of the Plymouth colony, fell; his head was brought to Plymouth, which occasioned a genFrom his death the extinction of his tribe may be eral thanksgiving. dated. The termination of this terrible war was of great importance to the exhausted colonies, as during its active prosecution six hundred of the best men had been lost and thirteen of the towns of the settlers The debts of the war fell heavily upon the early had been destroyed. towns of the Cape, and many years elapsed before they were liquidated. The policy of the colony toward the defeated Indians was so severe that the Indians in the vicinity of Sandwich and Barnstable grew restless, and prudence was required to restrain them, and especially to hold them friendly to the English. The residence of Mr. Hinckley, while he was abroad on public duties, was guarded, and at Sandwich a guard was kept as a matter of safety and to prevent any communication between the friendly and hostile tribes. This condition of affairs gradually disappeared: the Indians of the Cape continued friendly in their relations; and although the four primitive towns of this territory of which we write had suffered greatly in many ways, the same people, with those of other towns, had many privations yet in store. 1690 other troubles than those enFRESCH ASD Ix~)I;\x W.-lr,s.--In gendered by the former usurpations of Andros were developing to agitate the inhabitants of Barnstable as well as other counties. The war with the French and their Indian allies was inevitable, and the 5 Plymouth colony must bear its proportion. It was ordered that men be raised to go to New York and other places against the enemy; of these Barnstable county was to send nineteen--Barnstable five: Sandwich, Yarmouth and Eastham four each; and Monomoyick and Succonessit one each. (As the two latter towns were soon after known as Chatham and Falmouth, these names will be used.) But soon after the county was pressed to furnish forty-six m:re men-Barnstable twelve; Sandwich, Yarmouth and Eastham ten each; and Chatham each two; also, the county was compelled to furnish and Falmouth twenty-two Indians. The same year the county was taxed .&452,4s., 9d. burden was distribfor the expenses of the war, and this additional uted among the towns, Barnstable paying the largest sum and Falmouth the least. The full account of thiscampaign may be found in Hutchinson's History of Massachusetts Bay. The treaty of Ryswick in 1697 temporarily closed the seven years of war, and permitted the inhabitants of the Cape towns to resume for a short period their wonted avocations. In 1702, during the reign of Queen Anne, difficulties again arose between England and the French and their Indian allies. For years this war continued, with all its horrors of Indian inhumanby the French; and frequent requirements were ities instigated made upon the Cape towns for men and money: until, in 1713, the peace negotiations at LTtrecht again quieted the disturbing elements. It was then estimated that for some years not less than one-fifth of the inhabitants of the towns had been engaged in actual service, while those at home had been subjected to constant fears and alarms, as well as the most onerous peeuniar\burdens. In 1691, for the relief of the towns from the burdens of war. and in the scarcity of currency, the court issued bills of credit and made them current for the payment of all public and private debts. In 1711, to still further relieve the people, a series of forty These sinews of war perhaps temthousand pounds was issued. in after years fell heavily porarily gave relief; but their depreciation upon the soldiers who had received them for pay. In 1727 and 1727 the general court issued more of these bills to be loaned to the towns, and which were sent to them in proportionate amounts. These bills, when first issued, had been redeemed by the general court until 1703, when their redemption was indefinitely postponed. Their value slid down the scale of depreciation according to the denomination of ii old tenor," &`middle tenor " and " new tenor," which terms were applicable to the-age or issue of the bills. In 1749 England sent to Boston 215 chests, each containing three thousand dolcasks of copper-seventeen cartlars in silver, also one hundred loads of the silver and ten of the copper-to redeem these bills. The bills were paid at the treasury at the rate of forty-five shillings in bills of the old tenor, or 11s. 3d. in new tenor, for one Spanish dollar. In 1744 another war between Great Britain and France was commenced, and the Indians, through French influence and the bounties for scalps, attacked some New England towns. Many persons from the Cape were pressed into the service, many were taken prisoners and many killed during a bloody war of nineteen years. In 1745 the march against Cape Breton and the taking of Louisburgthe Gibraltar of America-were events of great moment in the history of those days. Colonel Graham's regiment did valiant service there. The captains were Jonathan Carey, Edward Dimmick, Elisha Doane, Cobb, Israel Bailey, Gershom Bradford and Samuel LomSylvanus regiment of Connecticut forces had Captain Daniel Wolcott's bard. Chapman and Lieutenant Lothrop from the Cape. The French had fortified Louisburg at a vast expense, and supposed it impregnable to the assaults of any force. The ire of the French nation was so aroused that in 1746 the largest armament that had yet been sent was despatched to the New World under Duke d'Auville to recover Louisburg and aid the Canadians and Indians in devastating and distressing the This armament of eleven ships of the line and New England colony. thirty smaller vessels of war, bgsides transports bearing three thousand regulars, was reduced more than one-half by storms and lcsses, while sickness carried off many more after the arrival, and the remainThe impressments by ing vessels one bv one returned to France. the mother country for men from the towns were excessive during these stirring events, and it is a matter of historical significance that in 1749 Truro and other towns petitioned against the injustice, and many towns denounced it an outrage. The feeling engendered on the Cape by the unjust drain of its means and best men had not been entirely forgotten a score of years later when, just prior to the revo lution, the placing of other burdens'was attempted. The peace of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749 was hailed with joy by every town, but in 1753 Great Britain charged France with a violation of the treaty, and the preparations for war were again made. In 1755 troops arrived from England, the colonies again raised their proportion, and expeditions went against Fort Du Quesne and other vulnerable points of the French possessions. To furnish men for this and other expeditions of the previous year, the Cape towns had been sadly depleted, and in 1758, when more soldiers were sent out for the reduction of Canada, one-third of its efficient men were in service. The conquest led to the peace of Paris in 1763, and the concession to England of Canada and other French possessions. Great Britain became really the arbiter of the seas and of the New World. Those u-ho sur- vived the rigors of the northern winters, the confinement in prisons and strife of battle were again allowed to seek their humble homes and assist in bearing the burden of debts created by the demands of the long war. The courage and strength of the people of the colony were evident to Great Britain, and to most effectively secure a permanent sovereignty over them seemed to be the desire of the parliament. But the attempt to force the payment of a portion of her own debts upon the colonists who had been made to suffer, and had been also deeply burdened in her service, was the act that deprived the mother country of the colonies which she so much desired to retain. REVOLLTIOSAI~Y W;lK.--In 1765 Great Britain, to relieve her treasury, which had been depleted by successive wars, assumed the right to tax her colonies in America. Of the taxes imposed, the stamp The repeal of the act and that on tea were the most odious. former in 1766 did not allay the indignation of the colonists. Petitions and remonstrances were of no avail, and the determination to resist was increased by Great Britain's persistent assumption. In 1768 meetings were held in the several towns and resolutions passed " that we will purchase no imported goods until the tax be repealed." Powder houses were erected in some of the towns of the county and of a warlike character were made. The presence other preparations of soldiery in front of Boston in 1'769 fanned the latent spark into an increasing flame; and when in Marc h, 1770, in an affair near Faneuil Hall, Boston, five of its inhabitants were shot down by the British, the flames became irrepressible. In 1775 organizations called " Sons of Liberty " sprang up in nearly every town, and strong resolutions of resistance were passed. The last of the ten ships sent to these shores was wrecked on Cape Cod and most of its cargo lost; but the knowledge that it was the last, and that the entire cargo of tea was steeping in ocean brine, did not dampen the determination of the patriots of this county. Frequent meetings were held and the vote unanimously taken " to resist the sale and use of the article, if needs be, in blood to our knees." The towns of the county have in their records many earnest evidences of the zeai of the inhabitants. The subsequent throwing overboard of 342 chests of tea in Boston harbor by patriots disguised as Indians, and the many acts that led to the war for liberty, are matters of a more general history. In the acts of the entire colony in opposing the claims of Great Britain, the people of Barnstable county acquiesced, and in many of the most daring were foremost. In September, 1774, the residents of Sandwich, joined by many from the towns west, marched to Barnstable to intercept the sitting of the court of common pleas. This was not only effectually accomplished, but the body of the people obtained the names of the judges to a promise that they would not accept of any duties in conformity with the unjust acts of parliament, and that if required to do any business contrary to the charter of the province they would refuse. This uprising of the citizens of this county was one of the first overt acts of the colony, and it was followed by requests to military officers to resign the commissions held under an authority that would, if it could, reduce them to slavery and obedience. This request was generally acceded to by all who held military and civil commissions in the county. While we cannot in our limited space give the entire proceedings of the daring acts, the patriots who served as leaders and committees were: Simeon T?-ing, Nathaniel Freeman, Stephen Sye, Zacheus Burge. Seth Freeman, Eliakim Tobey, Joseph 1Vye 3d, Micah Blackwell, Josiah Haskell, Aaron Barlow, Joseph Otis, George T,ewis, James Davis, John Cracker, jr., Sathan Foster, Thomas Sturgis, Solomon Otis, John Grannis, Elisha Swift, Ebenezer Sye, David Taylor, John Chapman,. Joshua Gray, Downs, Doctor Davis, John Doty, Daniel Thomas Paine, Sathaniel Cracker, Ebenezer Jenkins, Eli Phinney, Lot Xye, Noses Swift, Daniel Butler, jr., Daniel Taylor, Isaac Hamblin, Joseph Crowell, Benjamin Freeman, John Freeman, Lot Gray, Job Cracker, Amos Knowles, jr., Samuel Smith, David Greenough, Dr. Samuel Adams, Jonathan Collins, Deacon Bassett, Richard Sears, Salathiel Bumpas and Malachi Ellis. Another Cape patriot-James Otis, jr.-arose in court, in 1761, at Boston, where the legality of " the writs of assistance " was being argued, and said: " I am determined to proceed, and to the call of my country am ready to sacrifice estate, ease. health, applause and even life." At the town meetings of the towns of the county it was voted to oppose the tyranny of Great Britain at the risk of fortunes and lives. Some of the citizens were not thus zealous in the cause, and in the language of that day these were called tories. The Otis papers and other histories give accounts of bitter altercations in some towns of the county; but this fact did not defer the action or dampen the zeal of those engaged in the cause. The peculiar position of the county, topographically, its extended and exposed sea coasts, and the consequent evil to their own shippin g and fishery did not cause hesitation in acts that tended to bring on the prolonged war. During the blockade of Boston by the action of the port bill, the towns of this county contributed liberally in money, wood and provisions to the wants of the people of that city, and sustained them in all their resolutions. November 16,1774, a county congress was held in Barnstable, at which Hon. James Otis was chosen moderator, and Colonel Joseph Otis clerk: Colonel Sathaniel Freeman, Joseph Otis, Thomas Paine, Daniel Davis and Job Cracker were appointed a committee to com- municate with other counties: and the same gentlemen, with Captain Joseph Doane and Captain Jonathan Howes, were appointed as a committee to consider the public grievances and report at an adjourned meeting. But the time had arrived when the edict that "the country shall be free " must be enforced by the privations of mar. The happy firesides and rural avocations must be exchanged for the stern duties of Many noble deeds were performed in the struggle a military life. that followed, which are, and ever will be, unrecorded: for no histcrian can give the people of the Cape their full meed of praise. In 177.5 the first din of battle was heard when General Gage sent troops to Concord to destroy the stores of the provincials, and seven hundred men along the road put to flight one thousand seven hundred of his royal army. Then the couriers went out crying, &`the war is begun." No one lives to remember the thrill of determination that when that cry leaped from vibrated along the Cape to its extremity The year was an active one in levying men for the town to town. defense of the coast, and Major Hawley, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Gerry and Colonels Orne and Freeman were appointed to report proper regulaMajor Joseph Dimmick, with a sufficient force, tions for minute men. was commissioned to repair to Nantucket and other islands and arrest those who were supplying the enemy with provisions. The defense of the coast was entrusted to four companies; of Company 1, Nathan Smith was captain; Jeremiah hlantor, first lieutenant; and Fortunatus Bassett, second lieutenant; of Company 2, Benjamin Smith, captain; Melatiah Davis, first lieutenant: and James Shaw, second lieutenant; Company 3, John (irannis, captain; James Blossom, first lieutenant; Samuel Hallett, second lieutenant; Company 4, Elisha Xye, captain; and John Russell, second lieuStephen Nye, jr., first lieutenant; tenant. In January, 1776, General Washington called for six regiments of 728 men each, to be raised in the province, of which 260 men were to be furnished by Barnstable county. The committee to direct this Barnstable and duty in the county were Colonels Otis and Cobb. Plymouth counties together raised one entire regiment, of which Colonel Carey of Bridgewater was commandant; Barachiah Bassett of Falmouth, lieutenant colonel: Thomas Hamilton of Chatham, adjutant; and Nathaniel Hall of Hnrwich, surgeon mate. Still later, in January, another regiment was called from the same source to go to Many of these men were Mashpees, who made valiant Canada. On the Slst the militia of the county was divided into two soldiers. regiments and the general court appointed the officers; for the first, including Barnstnble, Sandwich, \-armouth and Falmouth, Nathaniel Freeman, colonel: Joseph Dimmick, lieutenant colonel; Joshua Gray, first major: and George Lewis, second major; for the second, including the towns of Harwich, Eastham, Chatham, Wellfleet, Truro and Provincetown, Joseph Doane, colonel; Elisha Cobb, lieutenant colonel; Zenas IVinslow, first major; and Gideon Freeman, second major; Dimmick declined in favor of Colonel Enoch yallett, and accepted the position of first major in place of Gray, who declined. The battle of Bunker Hill had been fought and war was at the court ordered that all persons very door of the Cape. The general save the merest portions of rags for the manufacture of paper, which, by the action of the revolted colonies and the condition of affairs, could not be otherwise obtained. In February, 1776, subscriptions were opened to give all who had silver and gold the opportunity to exchange the coin for bills, and Colonels Otis and Doane were appointed receivers for this county. During the year General Washington required the court of the colony to furnish a large quota of blankets for army use. The selectmen of the towns of the Cape were required by the court to assist in gathering these blankets, and the sum of AlgO, 9s., was placed in the hands of Captain Amos Knowles of Eastham for their purchase. Again men were required; this call was for 203 men from this county. Barnstable raised forty-five men, Sandwich, Yarmouth, Harwich and Eastham, forty each; Wellfleet, eighteen: Chatham and Falmouth, twenty-six each. In March, 1776, during the most diligent action to supply the camps of war with necessary supplies, the Cape, by its peculiar topography and shoals, had another interposition of Providence by the casting ashore at Provincetown of a sloop load of the enemy's goods; these, with the transport load that was cast upon the beach the same month at Truro, went far in relieving the needs of the army. The need of coats, waistcoats and breeches was still felt, and Joseph Nye of Harwith was appointed to procure as many as he could in Barnstable county. July 4, 1'776, the Declaration of Independence was passed. This was hailed with joy by all the colonies, and more especially on the Cape, where public meetings had been held in June, in which the people had pledged their property, honor and lives in its support. Battle followed battle, and the tide of war drifted from Boston harbor to the southwest. On the 10th of July one from every twentyfive men liable to military duty was taken from Barnstable county, and Joseph Nye of Sandwich, and Amos Knowles, jr., of Eastham were appointed by the court to make the draft. The men were ordered to Rhode Island, and for their transportation Joseph Nye and others were appointed to purchase sixty whale boats, to be delivered at Falmouth or some convenient place on Buzzards bay. This draft of men from the Cape was more severely felt than any former ones of the war, for many mere engaged on the sea and were enumerated among those liable to do military duty. The year 1777 opened with many privations to the people of the The most of the. fishing vessels were rotting at the wharves; county. the traffic was gone. The farmer might plant, but perhaps the next draft would not leave him to harvest. But they hopefully looked to the desired result. Those at home, not only on the Cape but throughout the colonies, realized that those in the field and at `\-alley Forge were also enduring hardships; and the vote of the town meeting was "that the town will provide for the families of the absent." The prison-ship inhumanity of the enemy was more severe upon the residents of the Cape than upon any other county, for a larger proportion were in the naval service: but to the credit of these men history does not reveal the name of one x-ho preferred British gold or promotion privateers were continuall! The ,knerican hold. to the loathsome harassing the enemy by their success, having captured prior to 1'177 nearly five hundred British vessels, for which the people of the Cape were entitled to great credit. The notes of war were heard along the ,1tlantic coast, and earl! in 1777 the general court resolved to draft everv seventh man in the This -\;.a~ a serious blow to colony to complete the required quota. this Cape, for it was ordered to make the draft from all over sixteen years of age. at home and abroad. In June of the same year eight?eight more men were drafted from the count\- to proceed to Rhode Island, and -August 17th still more Tvere ordered. n-ith field pieces. to protect Truro from the in\-usions threatened fl om British men-of-war. The surrender of Burgoyne, (ktober 22, 1777, caused reioicinavis was chosen to present to the general court the fact " the inequality of the burdens of the Cape seem not to have been well considered by the government heretofore; that to pay taxes equal to those more favorably circumstanced, and to be obliged to provide clothing in equal proportion to others, besides the needs of the families of the soldiers, was a sufficient sacrifice without being enjoined to stand side by side with agricultural towns in supplying beef for the army." But this appeal to the court was not made until the commander-in-chief had asked for another supply of beef, of which this county's quota was 56,489 pounds. The year 1781 was a deplorable one for the whole country, and at the opening of 1782 the horizon was still darker. The condition of the continental army was distressing. Baron Steuben wrote of his command from Fishkill, May 28th: "Yesterday was the third day of our army having been without provisions. The army could not make a march of one day. The distresses have arrived at the greatest possible degree." General Greene, August lSth,wrote: " For three months, more than one-third of our men, were entirely naked, with nothing but a breech-cloth about them, and never came out of their tents: and the rest are ragged as wolves. Our condition was little better in the matter of provisions." This deplorable condition of affairs was not confined to the army; destitution was everywhere in the colonies; and in no place was it more severely felt than on the Cape. But to replenish the ranks of the army, so depleted by sickness and mortality, General Washington in March required one thousand five hundred men for the Massachusetts line, of which the quota for this county was thirty-six. The same month the state treasurer, having been petitioned, was directed "to recall the executions issued, and to stay future executions for two-thirds of the taxes, until further ordered." The darkness that precedes the dawn was exemplified by the conof 1783. Every dition of the army and the provinces at the opening department of the forces and every town of the land was in most straitened circumstances. But the dawn of peace-the full sunshine of liberty-approached; at T'ersailles articles had been signed which acknowledged the freedom and sovereignty of the colonies, and April 19th General Washington proclaimed the cessation of hostilities. The rejoicings of a happy people, after eight years of strife and suffering, may be conjectured but cannot be described. The war cost England one hundred million pounds sterling and fifty thousand of her subjects, beside the loss of her much-coveted colonies. The colonies furnished during the period 288,134 men, of which 83,242 were sent from Massachusetts, showing conclusively the importance of this colony in the struggle for liberty. The destitution of the colonies, and especially of the Cape, for several years need not be recited. Not until 1796 did congress redeem the bills that had been issued to pay the soldiers and carry on the war, and then only one dollar in coin was received for one hundred dollars in bills. The collection of taxes from a people so prostrated caused difficulties, of which the so-called Shay's rebellion, in 1786, was the most important. This insurrection against the state government of Massachusetts was occasioned by the discontent of certain persons who arrayed themselves against the collection of taxes and debts. To subdue this rebellion four thousand men, under the command of General Lincoln, were ordered into service; and then, not until a welldirected fire into their ranks, killing many, did the insurgents conclude to discontinue the unequal contest. A similar spirit of insubordination was exhibited in New Hampshire. The governor of Massachusetts, under date of November 27, 1786, issued a proclamation to the sherifi of Barnstable county, directing him to promptly suppress all indications of a rebellion against the laws, and to call upon the military for assistance. As the residents of the Cape have ever been among the most loyal to law and order, it is just to suppose that this 76 HISTOIZ~- OF BhKSSI`.\NI,E CC)YSTl-. order of Governor Bowdoin was issued alike to the sheriffs of every other county of the state; and this, considering the exigency of the times, perhaps was the duty of the executive branch. WAR OF lSl2.*-After the restoration of peace, at the conclusion of the revolutionary war, the French revolution took place and France This war continued from 1703 until declared war against England. the treaty of peace at Amiens in 1802. But this treaty was of short duration, for England became so excited by the aggressive policy of Napoleon that war was declared against France in May, 1803, and soon The in hostilities. all the European powers were again involved United States was almost the only power that preserved its neutrality. Being thus at peace with the two great nations--England and France, commerce, unprecedented in the history of the country, a flourishing grew up in America, which produced a high degree of prosperity in the commercial portions of the United States, and Barnstable count! received a remarkable touch of this new impetus given to sea going business, as a large part of its citizens were engaged in maritime pursuits. But these favorable advantages were not long enjo!-ed b>- the citizens of the Cnited States, for Sapoleon. in 1S06, issued the famous islands \yere declared to be in a Berlin Decree, by which the British state of blockade, and all commerce. intercourse and correspondence with them were prohibited. In consequence of such restrictions the commerce of the United States \vith England was much embarrassed. and was carried on at a risk of seizure. The British government. aggrieved by the Berlin Decree, put forth a retaliatory measure by which American commerce received another damaging blow: to the effect that all neutral vessels trading with France should bc confiscated. This order was followed by another in 1S07. by which all trade in French goods and the goods of other nations with which England was at war, was entirely prohibiled. Then followed an order by Sapoleon called the Milan Decree, by which every vessel of n-hatsoever nation, that had been searched by an English Tressel and had consented to be 1:). SUCll :\cts sent to England, was to be considered as a Ian-ful prize. and measures on the part of England and France, a fatal blow was aimed at American commerce. and the course pursued by the two hostile nations was disastrous to the prosperity of this country. The blockade of the European ports from Brest to the Elbe, declared by Great Britain and not maintained by an actual nal-al force, was by the United States government looked upon as a " paper blockade," and therefore of no avail, and any seizure made by British vessels of American commerce was a palpable violation of the rights of a nation occupying a neutral position in time of war. Owing to the *RF Joshua II. Paine, Es~.~ of Harwich. dangers threatened to commerce by the *` decrees " of France and the `* orders in council " of Great Britain, the T_`nited States government, under Jefferson, laid an embargo on all exports from the United States, the object of which was to retaliate on the position taken by France and England in relation to commercial intercourse with these two great powers of Europe. But the embargo became very unpopular and worked very disastrously to the shipping interest of this country, and in no other section was there greater suffering and prostration of business than in the maritime industries of Cape Cod. The embargo was repealed by congress in 1809, and was followed by an act, called the `* Non-intercourse law," by which all trade and Neither the intercourse with France and England were prohibited. lav: had any effect in causing the embargo nor the non-intercourse British government to recede from the offensive position it had taken, or France to revoke its " decrees," so fatal to American commerce. By such obstinacy on the part of both nations, and in view of the threatened outrages to Xmerican commerce, it was a question for some time whether to declare war against France or England, but the persistency of the British in intercepting American vessels and impressing British decided the question, and war was declared against seamen therefrom England by President Madison, June 10, 1812. Hon. Isaiah L. Green, member of congress from the Barnstable district, voted for the act declaring war, and appears to have been sustained in so doing by the citizens of the district, as the following preamble goes to show: " Resolved that the Hon. Isaiah L. Green, our Congressional representative, has done nobly, and deserves well of his country, and that he enjoys the confidence of his constituents." Xs a large part of the business of Cape Cod was upon the ocean, no portion of the country would be subjected to greater deprivations and inconveniences than Barnstable county by the operations of war, and the people dreaded the issue; but still they considered it just, necessary and unavoidable, and acquiesced in all measures of the general in its prosecution; being ready at all times to engage in government the defense of the country, both on sea and land, in order that those rights for which the war was waged might be obtained. Soon after the news had reached England that war had been declared, British men-of-war began to hover around the New England X11 communication by water with Boston and other commercoasts. cial ports on the Sew England coasts was cut off by British ships of war cruising about the bay, and when at anchor they would send out their barges to capture the small craft that might venture out in quest of fish, or those that undertook to make a passage from port to port along shore. The whole of Massachusetts bay was under complete control of the British during the war, and no part of the state was more annoyed and menaced than the several towns of Barnstable county. The Spencer, of fifty-two guns, held possession of Provincetown harbor, and by the people of the Cape the `* Terror of the Bay." was considered The frigate Nynz@ and the I?rcln~~fi, each carrying seventy-four guns, guarded the shores of the upper Cape towns and also the Plymouth coast, and proved to be quite vigilant in intercepting and destroying navigation. The admiral's ship, IV~~;.sfli-, lay at anchor between Truro and Provincetown, and it is said that the crew, for exercise in naval training, would practice gunnery, having for a target an old wind mill standing in Truro. On the south shores of the Cape the ~`Vz'7~~7ori did much mischief by frequent attacks upon vessels and boats that attempted to venture out far from land, and the towns bordering on the sound were kept in constant fear and trepidation by the oft repeated threats of her commander to bombard and burn the " little villages by the shore." The British privateer Rrfnlinfz'o~, of five guns, cruised up and down the sound, and was a great annoyance to the small craft that sailed " along shore." She was finally captured by Captain IVeston Jenkins, cove, and of the sloop TZC~O Fritds, while lyin g at anchor in Tarpaulin was brought to Falmouth as a prize of considerable value to a brave and determined crew of thirty-two men. Notwithstanding the constant presence of British cruisers in the bay and sound, quite frequently some bold and intrepid adventurers. under the cover of night, would elude the vigilencc of those armed vessels and in their little craft would succeed in reaching a distant commercial port, obtain a cargo, and return again to their place of The great scarcity of corn which prevailed upon departure in safety. the Cape during the war compelled some of the more daring captains to run the risk of being taken by the enemy, and by discreet and crafty maneuvering they would succeed in bringing a load now and it was sold at a ver) then from the southern ports, and necessarily high price. Several vessels and a number of large boats lvere. how ever, captured and destroyed, the enemy confiscating the cargoes and setting the men found on board at liberty. The packet sloop plying between Barnstable and Boston, commanded by Captain Hovies, was taken by the frigate ,\~r~~/(, and with her cargo was burned. S. B. Phinney of Barnstable, -then a lad of six summers, a passenger with his father. was on board at the time of the capture, but was soon set at liberty. In many instances the crews of captured vessels were held as prisoners subject to a ransom from their friends. Commodore Raggelt, of the ship ,J;h(~~c~r,made frequent demands upon several of the Cape towns for payments of certain sums of money to secure exemption from an attack, and to prevent the destruction of property. The town of Brewster, being so harassed and threatened by the enemy, paid four thousand dollars, the sum demanded. Eastham paid one thousand dollars, but the other towns positively refused The people were determined to `defend to make any contributions. the towns to the last extremity. Military ccmpanies were formed in all parts of the county, and were in readiness at all times to march to any point where the enemy might attempt to land. Committees of safety were appointed in the most exposed towns, the dutiesof which were to watch the movements of the British cruisers in the bay and report at headquarters whenever any hostile demonstrations were made. Alarm posts were established in all the towns. and a code of signals fixed upon to give warning to the militia and "yeomanry of the land " whenever the enemy appeared in vieu-. Sentinels were detached from the several companies to guard the shores. of In view of the exposed situation of the Cape to the depredations the enemy, frequent appeals were made to the state governmenl for a supply of artillery and other munitions of war. Collector Green of the port of Barnstable, asked for a detachment of flying artillery and a supply of military stores, and Simeon Kingman, Esq., of Orleans, acting as an agent of the town,went to Boston bearingaproposition, the substance of which was that an artillery company would be formed if the government would furnish the necessary equipments. Both gentlemen were unsuccessful in their efforts to obtain assistance from the state, and it became very apparent that the Cape must furnish `its own protection, although (Governor Strong, in his speech before the state senate and house of representatives, October 14, 1812, says: " We have in this state several hundred miles of sea-coasts and more than one hundred of the towns may be approached by the enemy's ships. * * .V. `. It will be necessary that the whole militia should be armed and equipped in the best possible manner and ready to march at the shortest possible notice, and in case of invasion, that arms should be in readiness for every man who is able to bear them." Sot a large number enlisted to join the army on the northern frontier from the Cape. Their services were required in protecting their own homes. During the continuance of the war the'citizens of Barnstable county able to bear arms were constantly on the look-out, ready to spring to their guns whenever the alarm was given of a threatened invasion, and they might with propriety be called <`minute men," so ready and determined were they to beat back the invading foe. In the spring of 1813, Lieutenant Proctor opened a recruiting office in Harwich, and a number enlisted from that and adjoining towns to join the army in the vicinity of the Lakes. On the fifth of April, 1813, they departed for the seat of war on the northern frontier. Great were the hardships and sufferings they endured on their long march through the then unsettled portions of Massachusetts and New York. They joined the forces under General Brown and were in the battles of Sackett's Harbor, Lunday's Lane, Fort Erie and Bridgewater. A number of men from the Cape entered the navy and did valiant service. Two of the crew of the United States frigate Cortstitution were Harwich men, when she captured the British frigate G`ucwicrc. The brig K&&Y, Captain Nathaniel Snow, of Truro, having a crew mostly of Cape Cod men, sailed from Boston in the month of December, 1814, under letters of marque to cruise in the vicinity of the Western islands and on the coast of Spain, to capture and annoy the British commerce. They encountered a terrific gale in the Bay of Biscay, and came very near being lost. Between the T1-estern island ilfter and the mouth of the English channel they captured six prizes. removing portions of the cargo, they burned the vessels. They fell in with several other fleets of merchantmen, but as they were of superior strength and under a stron g convoy, they were obliged towithdraw, and sailed for the harbor of Corunna, a seaport of Spain, in the Before the vessel was ready for sailing they reprovince of Galicia. that peace had been declared between the ceived the intelligence United States and Great Britain. During the last year of the war the people of Barnstable county experienced the greatest deprivations of the necessaries of life. The intercourse between the states was so far interrupted that a small quantity only of flour and corn could be obtained from the southern ports, and the small amount that was in the market brought great Flour sold for eighteen dollars per barrel, and corn brought prices. It was almost impossible for vessels to reach the $2.50 per bushel. molasses and sugar West Indies and return in safety, consequently were vervi scarce. The good housewives. however, would improvise a kind of molasses from cornstalks and pumpkins, which was quite a good substitute for the real article. serving an excellent purpose in the culinary department, besides making the wives of those days doubly sweet to their lords, and each could say of his wife. with Milton, .. Love, sweetness, gootlness ill her person shined." On account of the geographical situation of Cape Cod, projecting about sixty miles out into the Xtlantic ocean. and all the towns thereon being approachable by water, no part of the country was more exposed to the rapacity of the enemy than this portion of Massachusetts. The inhabitants were in constant fear and trepidation during the war, thinking that the foe might at any time land and devastate their homes. -1s the British cruisers were most of the time in the eastern portions of American waters, Cape Cod was in proximity to the scene of several naval conflicts, and it was no uncommon sound for the people to hear the heavy roar of artillery as it came booming over the bosom of old ocean. The heavy cannonading of that celebrated naval duel between the C/us~7pakr and Shn177m, off Boston harbor June 1, 1813, was distinctly heard by the people of Cape Cod. The town of Falmouth was greatly harrassed by the British during the war. A bombardment took place at one time by which the meeting house and several dwelling houses were slightly injured. It is a matter of wonderment that they did not entirely destroy the town, as it was so exposed to the range of their guns, and possessing as they which manifested itself afterward in bomdid a spirit of vandalism barding Stonington, Conn., burning the capitol at Washington, the congressional library and other public buildings, besides destroying private dwellings and storehouses. A demand was made upon Orleans by the British for the payment of a certain sum of money as a protection against the destruction of property and for the safety of the inhabitants, but the insulting requisition was peremptorily declined. On the 19th of December, 1814, they attempted to land from their barges and put into execution their oft-repeated threats. Their movements were quickly observed by the citizens, an alarm was given and in a short time the militia of the town was at Rock harbor, the place of operations. A lively encounter took After a short skirplace and one or more of the invaders were killed. mish they were repulsed and returned to their ship, which was at anchor o:ltside of the bar. The militia of the adjoining towns, on learning that demonstrations were being made at Orleans, started at once for the scene of action, but did not arrive in season to take part in the action. This little skirmish was styled the " Battle of Orleans," and about sixty years after the participants or their surviving widows obtained, under an act of congress passed March 3, 1555, land warrants of 160 acres as a bounty, and a few were granted pensions under an act of congress passed March !3, lS$S , giving a pension to all sailors or soldiers who were in any engagement during the war of 1512. X report reached several of the Cape towns on the second of October, lS14. that the enemy were making preparations to land at Barnstable. The militia turned out in full force and soon were r/z rozlie for the contemplated scene of action. So attack was made, however, and the several companies returned to their homes after two nights' tarry in camp at Barnstable. The constant watchfulness and vigilance of the people were evidently known to the British in their armed vessels as they hovered about the bay, and it is highly probable that they would have landed 6 and done much mischief, even devastated the Cape, had no resistance been offered. But in repelling the invaders the defenders of the soil had the " vantage grounds," for had they attempted to land in force at low tide the militia and citizens under arms could have easily kept them at bay on the treacherous flats, from their fortified positions on the shore, until the tide arose, when they would have been overwhelmed by its flow, like Pharoah's army of old. To have landed at high tide would have been equally as disastrous, for it would have been very difficult for them to effect a landing from their barges in any kind of military order in the face of such a determined opposition as the militia and citizen soldiery presented. The people of the Cape during the war maintained that spirit of resistance to British tyranny which characterized the American people all over the Union, and in the protection of their homes displayed patient endurance and zealous patriotism. The downfall of Napoleon in 1814, caused by the allied powers of Europe, put an end to the contest, and the principal causes of the war between the United States and England were removed. The object for which the war was waged having been gained, peace was effected December 24, 1814, at Ghent, the capital of East Flanders, Austria, and ratified by the United States government February 17th following. Again, as Watson has it, " The stars and stripes, Columbia's sac] ed flag, Like eagle's pinions fluttered in the breeze: And the Red Lion, haughty Briton's enlbleln, Discomfited, went howling back with rage, To lair amidst the white cliffs of Albion." The news of peace was hailed with joy by the citizens of BarnUnder its glorious sunlight a degree of prosperity stable county. The hardy soon manifested itself in all departments of business. fishermen resumed their toils upon the waters without fear of molestaCommerce spread its white wings in protion from armed cruisers. fusion over the billows, and the industries of the land started up with new life and increased vigor.