The Short List--for subjects of more limited appeal and/or limited to Northeast region (Freepmail me to get ON or OFF the Short List)
Posted on 04/19/2006 7:31:42 AM PDT by Hemingway's Ghost
The following narrative appeared in an obituary notice of the Columbian Sentinel of Feb. 6, 1793:
Died at Menotomy, the 2d instant, Capt. Samuel Whittemore, AEt. 96 years and 6 months. The manly and moral virtues, in all the varied relations of a brother, husband, father, and friend, were invariably exhibited in this gentleman. He was not more remarkable for his longevity and his numerous descendants (his progeny being 185, one of which is the fifth generation) than for his patriotism.When the British troops marched to Lexington, he was 79 years of age, and one of the first on the parade; he was armed with a gun and horse-pistol. After an animated exhortation to the collected militia to the exercise of bravery and courage, he exclaimed, 'If I can only be the instrument of killing one of my country's foes, I shall die in peace.' The prayer of this venerable old man was heard; for on the return of the troops he lay behind a stone wall, and discharging his gun a soldier immediately fell; he then discharged his pistol, and killed another; at which instant a bullet struck his face, shot away part of his cheekbone; on which a number of the soldiers ran up to the wall, and gorged their malice on his wounded head. They were heard to exclaim, 'We have killed the old rebel.'
About four hours after, he was found in a mangled situation; his head was covered with blood from the wounds of the bayonets, which were six or eight; but providentially none penetrated so far as to destroy him. His hat and clothes were shot through in many places; yet he survived to see the complete overthrow of his enemies, and his country enjoy all the blessings of peace and independence.
His funeral will be held to-morrow at 4 o'clock P. M. from his house at Menotomy, which his relatives and friends are requested to attend.
The General Laws of Massachusetts Part I. Administration of the Government; Title XX. Public Safety and Good Order; Chapter 140. Licenses; Section 131, subsection f.:
"Any applicant or holder aggrieved by a denial, revocation or suspension of a license, unless a hearing has previously been held pursuant to chapter 209A, may, within either 90 days after receiving notice of such denial, revocation or suspension or within 90 days after the expiration of the time limit during which the licensing authority is required to respond to the applicant, file a petition to obtain judicial review in the district court having jurisdiction in the city or town wherein the applicant filed for, or was issued, such license. A justice of such court, after a hearing, may direct that a license be issued or reinstated to the petitioner if such justice finds that there was no reasonable ground for denying, suspending or revoking such license and that the petitioner is not prohibited by law from possessing same."
I'm currently reading "Washington's General" by Terry Golway and have on order "Washington's Crossing" by David H. Fischer. Your recommendations will be on my list as well!
One of Washington's quotes from "1776" really hit home for me and made me understand the difficult time he was having, especially after narrowly escaping from NY:
“Such is my situation that if I were to wish the bitterest curse to an enemy on this side of the grave, I should put him in my stead with my feelings.”
George Washington
September 30, 1776
One other thing I came to understand, British arrogance and pure luck played a BIG part in the founding of this Nation.
I concur! I'd love to see a series of major motion pictures about this period. The historical events are legendary and could easily be put on film.
Life expectancy from birth was in the 35 to 45 age range. However, infant and child mortality was in the 20 to 30% range.
If a person survived childhood, did not get mortally injured working or in the militia, or get any potentially fatal illness, then they lived into their 60's, and some into their 90's.
I have many ancestors in colonial times who lived into their 80's and 90's, it was not uncommon.
It was, of course, survival of the fittest. Those with genetic defects or "weaknesses" were weeded out by childhood. People usually died of tuberculosis, pneumonia, etc.
The Short List--for subjects of more limited appeal and/or limited to Northeast region (Freepmail me to get ON or OFF the Short List)
Grave of Capt. Samuel Whittemore
I do hope both of you go to Lexington, then take the road to Concord--if you haven't already, of course. It's truly a step back to another time. There are many historic sites and interpretive markers. The Minuteman National Historic Park roughly traces the route from Lexington to Concord. The Minuteman statue in Concord is worth the visit, and there is a museum store there with an excellent selection of books. I picked up a copy of a listing of the various Minuteman units, with a complete listing of the men who answered the call that day. I found the name of my greatx5 grandfather.
Walden Pond is just outside of Concord, and Authors Row in the local cemetery has the burial sites of some of America's greatest authors: Thoreau, Emerson, Alcott and Hawthorne, all grouped together.
Minuteman Isaac Davis, shot by the British at Concord Bridge in April 1775, was one of the first to die in the cause of American Independence.
"There can never be but one man who headed the first column of attack on the King's troops in the Revolutionary War. And Isaac Davis was that man." So spoke Reverend James Trask Woodbury of Acton, Massachusetts, in 1851. The occasion was a debate in the Massachusetts House of Representatives "upon the question of granting two thousand dollars to aid the Town of Acton in building a monument over the remains of Captain Isaac Davis, Abner Hosmer, and James Hayward, Acton Minute Men killed at Concord Fight, April 19, 1775."
Strictly speaking, Davis was not the first to die in the struggle for American independence. He was not even the first to die that bright April morning when the king's troops, marching to Lexington and Concord to seize the rebel leaders and destroy the arms and ammunition stockpiled there, fired what poet Ralph Waldo Emerson immortalized as the "shot heard 'round the world."
The colonists had been keeping an eye on the British troops quartered in Boston. They had noticed unusual activity that suggested the king's men planned to strike out into the villages to capture those who would lead their neighbors into open revolt and to seize the guns, field pieces, powder, and flour they had hidden around the countryside.
Samuel Adams and John Hancock, staying with Reverend Jonas Clarke at Lexington, had to be warned. That difficult chore fell to Paul Revere and William Dawes, joined later by young Doctor Samuel Prescott, who was returning home from a visit with his lady friend in Lexington.
After the alarm carried by the three reached Lexington, then Concord, messengers fanned through the countryside warning the scattered farmers that the British were on the march. An unknown rider, perhaps Prescott himself, arrived at the home of Captain Joseph Robbins, leader of one of Acton's two troops of militia--soldiers supposedly under allegiance to the king, although that had ceased to be the case.
The messenger did not dismount, but banged on the corner of the house, shouting "Captain Robbins! Captain Robbins! Up! Up! The regulars have come to Concord! Rendezvous at old North Bridge quick as possible! Alarm Acton!"
Aroused from his bed, Robbins fired three shots with his musket to warn the town. Then he sent his 13-year-old son John to alert Isaac Davis and others. When he received the news, Davis sent word that he would leave for Concord as soon as thirty men had mustered in his yard.
The call echoed around Acton and the minutemen rushed to Davis's yard, where they made bullets and prepared for a battle that some, making jokes about finally "getting a hit at old [General Thomas] Gage," relished. Davis rebuked his men, reminding them that the day had brought "a most eventful crisis for the colonies. Blood would be spilt, that was certain; the crimson fountain would be opened; none could tell when it would close, nor with whose blood it would overflow. Let every man gird himself for battle and be not afraid, for God is on our side."
As certain as Davis was about the righteousness of their cause, he was equally pessimistic about his own chances for survival. Several days before that fateful dawn, he and his wife had returned home from an excursion to discover that a large owl, a symbol of death, had flown into the house and perched on Davis's favorite gun, which hung over the mantel. No one was allowed to disturb the brooding presence, which stayed for days and was interpreted by the captain as an omen that, if the struggle became a full-pitched battle, he would not survive.
I've been there and rally enjoyed the museum.
It's ironic that Lexington is now one of the most PC towns in Massachusetts.
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