Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 2.djvu/169

 MILITARY AFFAIRS IN HOPKLNTON.

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��The field and staff officers of this regi- ment were as follows : — Aquila Davis, Colonel; John Carter, Lieutenant-Colo- nel; William Bradford, Major; James Minot, 1st Lieutenant and Adjutant; Jo- seph Low, 2d Lieutenant and Quarter- master; Henry Lyman, Acting Sur- geon's Mate; John Trevitt, Acting Sur- geon's Mate ; Timothy D. Abbott, Ser- geant Major; Nicholas G. Beane, Quar- termaster Sergeant ; Thomas Bailey, Drum Major; Nehemiah Osgood, Fife Major.

This regiment went into camp on the first of February, 1813, and left for Bur- lington early in the spring. On the first day of its march it passed through Hop- kinton, halting at the village for rations. This halt gave many people an opportu- nity to reflect upon the trials of soldiers. Although the troops had marched only seven miles, some were already jagged and footsore.

The 1st Regiment of New Hampshire "Volunteers was soon disbanded. On the 29th of January, 1813, Congress repealed the u Volunteer Act," and the soldiers enlisting under this act were re-enlisted into the regular United States Army, or reformed into new regiments, to serve till the time of their volunteer service expired. The soldiers of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment of Volunteers who were not re-cnlisted, were consolidated with Col. McCobb's regiment from Maine, becoming known as the 45th reg- iment, with field and staff officers as fol- lows :— Denny McCobb, Colonel ; Aquila Davis, Lieutenant-Colonel; H. B. Bree- vort, 1st Major; Daniel Baker, 2d Ma- jor; Joseph Low, Paymaster; Daniel G. Kelley, Sergeant Major. This regi- ment, at the expiration of the term of enlistment, was recruited by Paymaster Low, and was at Burlington for service in the early spring of 1814.

The well-remembered alarm at Ports- mouth aroused afresh the military spir- it of New Hampshire in 1S14. During the winter of 1813 and 1814, British ves- sels of war were cruising along the New England coast, while maintaining a ren- dezvous at Bermuda Islands, as well as one at Gardiner's Bay, at the east end of

��Long Island, their naval depot being at Halifax, in Nova Scotia. On the 8th of April, 1S14, a British force ascended the Connecticut River and destroyed about twenty American vessels collected there for safety. On the 23d of the same month, Admiral Cockburne, rendezvous- ing at the Bahamas, issued a proclama- tion declaring the whole Atlantic coast of the United States in a State of block- ade. Soon after about thirty or forty American coasting vessels were de- stroyed in Massachusetts Bay. These circumstances spread great alarm, not only throughout New England in gen- eral, but throughout New Hampshire, particularly on account of the insecurity of the harbor and town of Portsmouth and the adjacent navy yard at Kittery, Me. A detachment of eight companies of militia, under the command of Maj. Edward J. Long, were ordered to the de- fense of Portsmouth.

Very soon an event occurred arousing the ardor of the people of New Hamp- shire to a high pitch. We copy an ac- count of the occurrence from the ''An- nals of Portsmouth," by Nathaniel Ad- ams:

" Tuesday, June 21st, between the hours of ten and eleven o'clock in the evening, the town was alarmed by a re- port that the British were landing at Rye Beach. Alarm bells were rung and signal guns fired. All the military companies turned out with alacrity and prepared for the attack. A martial spir- it pervaded all ranks, and they glowed with ardor to be led to the place of dan- ger. Expresses were dispatched to as- certain the situation of the enemy, and the report proved to be without founda- tion. It was occasioned by some boats of a suspicious character that were ob- served off Rye Harbor by the the guard stationed. The inhabitants again re- tired stationed ther the sweets of re- pose."

Although the above affair was only a "scare," there is no doubt the British intended an«attack on the defenses of Portsmouth and destruction of the adja- cent navy yard. Report tells us that, after the close of the war, a British offi-

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