F 74 ^^y _^^ S^ Copy 1 /^^tc '3 / EULOGY, AT THE FUNERAL OF GENERAL GIDEON FOSTEE, DELIVERED IN THE UNITARIAN CHURCH, IN DANVERS, NOVEMBER 3d, 1845, BT DANIEL P. KING, Imrnm DANVERS : «. B. CABLTOK— COURIER PII£S9. 1846. n D 1 f Danvers, Nov. 3d, 1845. Dear Sir — ' At a Meeting of the Committee of Arrangements, appointed to conduct the Funeral Obsequies of the late General Gideon Foster, held immediately after the Funeral, it was Voted— That this Committee, in behalf of their fellow citizens, tender their thanks to Hon. Daniel P. King for his just and appropriate Eulogy on the character and services of the late Gen. Gideon Foster, and that he be respectfully requested to place a copy at the disposal of the Committee for publication. I remain, Dear Sir, Your obedient servant, Fitch Poo le, Sec. of Com. Arrangements. To Hon. Damiel P. King. Danvers, Nov. 4th, 1845. Dear Sir — In compliance with the request of the Committee of Arrangements, I place in your hands a copy of the Eulogy on Gen. Foster, and I very much regret that time was not allowed to prepare something more worthy of the worthy General. With my grateful acknowledgements to yourself and the Committee, I am very truly Your obedient servant, Daniel P. King. Fitch Poole, Esq., Sec. Com. Arrangements. EULOGY. In this house of God, where prayer is wont to be oflfered, where hymns of praise and anthems of thanksgiving are wont to be smig, what mean these plaintive dirges, these emblems of woe, this military array? This vacant seat and that funereal bier proclaim the mournful fact. A good citizen, a brave sol- dier, our neighbor and friend, a man venerable for his years, more venerable for his services and virtues, has passed away ; the spirit full of immortal longmgs, has taken its flight from its clay tenement shattered and bowed do-wn by the stoi-rla and tempests of almost a century of years ; the animating soul has fled, and left these frail relics of mortahty for us to drop the tear of soitow, to speak the words of sad remembrance, and to commit the honored dust to its last, peaceful resting place. The body and soul which for ninety-seven years have slept and waked together, and together have travelled the weary pilgrim- age of life, have at last parted company : — "Fond couple ; linked more close than wedded pair, This wing.s its way to its Almighty source, The witness of its actions, now its judge ; That drops into the cold and silent grave." How solemn is this place, how full of serious reflections, how eloquent is death ! It bepomes a cliild of earth to lay his hand on his mouth, to listen to the awful teachings of time and eterni- ty, to realize his own frailty and the certamty that he too must soon pass through the dark valley. Silence and meditation would better become us, but we owe a tribute of respect to this time-honored veteran : to those who are to come after us, we owe some memorial of departed valor and patriotism. It is meet that we should honor these poor remains with all becorauig obsequies; it is meet that we should mourn; for a good man, an ancient father, a captain and a leader of the peo- ple has fallen; but we should not weep immoderately: "he has 4 MR. king's eulogy. come to his grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn corneth in his season" : "he lays his neck upon the lap of his mother earth, and lets his head down to be raised up in heaven," The solemn mourning, the timely du*ge, the measured tolling of the bells, the long procession, the mihtary escort and the fare-well volley, are due to venerable departed worth and valor ; all these, honored shade, with the enduruig monument and the sculptm-ed marble shall attest oui* respect for thy character, oui' gratitude for thy services. We will plant flowers and evergreens, and twine wreaths about thy tomb, and thy memory shall be cherished. His old friends and companions in arms, [a] Smith and Osborne, have lately been deposited in Hannony Grove ; it now receives a new treasure to its trust ; this is holy ground ; its consecrated silenc Anust never be disturbed by ci\il commotion or rude ^^o- lenceMliis soil, sacred to religion and patriotism, must never be traifiplcd upon by a despot, must never be watered by the tears of a slave. In this solemn solitude, the sympathising clouds dropping rain, amid fading grass, witheiing flowers and the fast falling leaves of a late autumn, we commit the remains of our friend to the grave, dust to dust, earth to earth, ashes to ashes — the fad- ed grass, the withered flowers, the fallen leaves shall mingle with the soil ; another sprmg shall animate these groves, and clothe with fresh verdure and new beauty these hills and vales; another winter shall despoil and make them desolate ; but a bet- ter spring aAvaits the soul of the good, a genial summer wliich fears no frosts of autumn and no chilling blasts of winter, but which shall bloom beautiful as the garden of God, blissful as heaven, lasting as eternity. General Foster has left no written memorial of himself. With the exception of his participation in the great struggle for our country's hberties, his life Avas too Ml of busy emplopnent and cheerful, but noiseless industry, to furnish much material for a biographer. Gideon Foster was bom in the house which formerly stood on the corner of Lowell and Foster streets, February 24th A. D. 1749. His father, Gideon Foster was a native of Boxford ; MR. KING S EULOGY. 5 his mother, Lydia Goldthwait, of this towi.[B] His early oppor- tunities of acquiring an education were few, but he diligently improved them. He wrote a handsome hand, was a correct draughtsman and an accurate and skilful surveyor. For several short periods he was employed in school keepmg, but the more pressing necessities of those days, and the moderate means of the people afforded but Httle time for literary improvement ; he however acquired a love for reading which accompanied Mm through life, and up to the time of liis death, he kept himself well informed of all passmg events of general mterest. He was a man of more than common mgenuity as well as mtelligence. As a mechanic, he had much skill ; the machinery of his mills was of his omi plannuig and construction, and many practical mechanics and manufacturers have derived important advanta- ges from his suggestions. Gen. Foster has always been honored and tmsted by his fel- loAv citizens, and in turn has discharged all the important muni- cipal offices of the town. For four years he was town clerk ; he was long an active magistrate of the County, and for nuie years a member of the State Legislature. In the militia of the Commonwealth he rendered good ser- vice, and you, soldiers, do well to honor his memory ; for he highly valued your pubhc spirit, and he considered the volunteer mihtary [c] the safest and best means of oui- national defence. In 1792 Capt. Foster was promoted to the rank of Colonel; in 1796 he was chosen Brigadier General ; m 1801 he was elect- ed Major General by the Legislatm-e, in the House receiAing every vote, and in the Senate there being but one dissenting voice. When our country was threatened with invasion durmg the last war, he was chosen commander of a company of exempts, and many of us remember how well the worthy veteran filled the post of honor ; he never lost his military ardor, and to the last, the somid of the drum and trumpet was music to liis ear : mdeed for almost a whole century, there has been no day "^A-hen the sword of the old soldier would not have been drawn and a vigo- rous blow struck for the defence of his country's rights ; nurtur- 6 MR. king's eulogy. ed in that school of patriotism which taught that oppositioii to tyrants is obedience to God, and -which inculcated love of coun- try next to love of heaven, his strong indignation was roused by any wrong done her or danger threatened. Liberty and love of coimtry were his early and abiding passion. His country's free institutions, good order, good laws andgood rulere were the objects of his strongest affections ; he not only loved them but he did what he was able, according to his judgment and under- standing to maintain and perpetuate them. No distance of place, no severity of the weather, no bodily infimiity, since the adoption of the constitution, now more than sixty years, has de- tamed him from depositmg his ballot for State Officers. General Foster, through his long life has been a man of great energy, enterprise and industry. Two disastrous fires had rob- bed him of wealth, but on his little fainn, with a Roman indepen^ dence and more than Roman virtue, his own hands have to the last, ministered to his necessities. The summer before the past, he mowed his o^Yn grass, and till the week before his death the implements of agricultui*e were his daily companions. He re- ceived for his setndces in the revolution a small pension, but in no degree adequate to his wants or proportioned to his merits. By his industry, regularity and temperance, with the blessing of heaven, his life has been protracted to the verge of a centm'y : by his honesty, never impeached; by liis sincerity and love of tnith, never questioned; by his services to indi\iduals and the public, and liis many virtues he has secured and preserved the love, confidence and respect of the three generations, the witnes- ses of his worth and the recipients of his benefactions. But he noAv rests from bis labors, and his wearied frame has at length found a quiet repose. The detail of the exploits of war and of the battle field are more appropriate to the page of history; this momnful occasion, and our brief time, forbid an extended narration of General Fos- ter's revolutionary services. Proximity to the French and Indians had taught the inhabi- tants of the colonies the necessity of being prepared for self de- fence ; they had suffered frequent and bloody experience in sav- MR. kino's eulogy. T age warfare, but the long continued oppression of the mother country made a more perfect organization of the miUtia necessa^ ry. In Massachusetts, then numbering less than three hundred thousand inhabitants, all males able to bear arms were em'olled, and were frequently drilled. More immment dangers and the threatenings of the enemy (one Regiment of whom were en- camped in this town for some months) to destroy the military stores of the Colony, caused the provincial congress to order a draft of minute men — men ready at a minute's warning to take the field and face the enemy. Of the company drafted here, Gideon Foster was chosen commander ; he was then twenty-sbc years of age, : liis company frequently assembled for exercise in arms, but the first time he led them to face the enemy was on Sunday, the 26th of Feb. 1775 — when Col. Leslie attempted to destroy some cannon which had been deposited in Salem, then concealed in Danvers. It had been said in the British parlia- ment, and often repeated, that two Regunents of British Reg- ulars could mai'ch from one end of the Colonies to the other, that "the Americans never felt bold," and that they would run from the first appearance of an armed foe. Here the fii-st war- like opposition was made to British aggression ; here the men of Salem and Danvers gave signal that they would fight and die if need be, for then- country. Col. Leslie did not effect his ob- ject ; but without a battle and covered ^ath mortification and shame he and his Regiment returned to Boston by the way of Marblehead. It is known to you, for the story is familiar as the names of the seasons, that on Wednesday, the 19th of Apiil, the day ev- er memorable for the battle of Lexington, Capt. Foster march- ed with his company sixteen miles in four ioui'S, to West Cam- bridge, where they met the retreating Britons ; it is known to you how bravely these youthful heroes fought, how nobly seven of the heroic citizens of this town sacrificed their fives for their country's liberty, [d] His prowess, coolness and intrepidity on that day, won for him high honor and imperishable fame. For more than eight months he commanded a company in Col. Mansfield's Regiment, in the anny encamped about Bos- 8 MR. king's EULOCxY. ton. He was actively engaged on the 17th of June, the day of the battle of Bunker's hill, and ever while in the service, deserv- ed and bore the character of a brave officer and a good soldier. General Foster's mind always \dgorous, retained much of its strength iill within a few days of liis decease. So strong was his constitution and so regular his habits that his friends expect- ed for him many years of active hfe. His confinement was short, and it was not mitil the fatal hour that immediate danger was apprehended. He died on Saturday, Nov. 1st, 18-15. On all occasions his townsmen and neighbors have manifest- ed deep respect for his character and ser^dces. When it was knoAvn that he was no more, the bells were tolled, busmess was suspended and a gloom pervaded the coromunity ; there was a voluntary and general mourning ; the flag of our country was floating at half mast, a mournful token that one loved and honor- ed had passed away ; on one flag staff, wrapped among the stripes and the stars, was the pennon of the Foster Fire Company with the name of Gen. Foster blazoned upon it ; so are mingled with the fame of our country's revolutionary glory, the name and ex- ploits of the old soldier. Ten years ago, with due solemnities, an enduring monument was raised to the memory of our town's early mart}TS for their country's hberty. At the distance of sixty years from that memorable fight, which manifested to the world that raw militia- men could face and conquer hired veterans in the righteous bat- tles of then' country. Gen. Foster was present — the observed of all observers. He addressed the assembly, [e] and added solem- nity and a speaking reaUty to the occasion. On that anniversa- ry we Avere assembled, fellow citizens, in the very church where sixty years before, the mortal remauis of the heroic martyrs had received the last rites of sepulture ; nineteen surnvors of the Revolutionary army were then present, the li\dng witnesses of the valor of the departed. Gen. Foster full of life, and ener- gy and patriotism, was among them, yet then* leader and cap- tain ; his eye had not then grown dim, his hand had not forgot its cunning, Ids natural force was hardly abated, but they and he have now passed away ; ten more years have elapsed and the MR. king's EULOaY. 9 last commissioned officer of the Revolution, certainly of the ear- ly part of the Revolution, is dead, and we have come to pay the last funeral honors to the veteran soldier ; the last connecting link is broken — tlie comrade of Warren and Prescott and Stark, the man who held official intercourse with Ward and Putnam and Washington, has now gone to join the mighty host of the worthy dead. "The bugle's wild and warlike blast Shall muster them no more ; An army now mitiht thunder past, And they not heed its roar. The starry flag, 'nenth which they fought, In many a bloody day, Fr-as not for the want of determined pur- pose, in him who sent them. Of those under my immediate command, there is no one left ahvc. Three of them were slain on that day — I alone remain to tell their story. I, a tottering old man, through the goodness of God, am still permitted to be here. I am permitted to see this day's ascending sun, and to witness these ceremonies. I can truly say it is one of the hap- piest days, and most pleasing events of my life. A few more days at most, and perhaps very few, and I also, shall be number- ed Avith the dead. But while I see the spirit that moved the Patriots of '76, bright and vigorous in the breasts of their descendants, — While I see the rights of my fellow citizens maintained, and the Con- stitution of my Comitry defended — I can say with Simeon of old, now Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen the salvation of My Country. *"The greatest slaughter of the British took place, it is said, while they were on the retrosade, sweating with toil and blood, for three or lour miles through the woody defiles in Lincoln and the upper part of Lexington, and aijain when their flanking parties were intercepted in Cambridge by one or two companies from Dan- \eis.''— Extract from a Com. enlitled "Lexington and the \^ih April 17:5'' — repub- lished in the Boston Neios Letter. t Some idea of the effect of these eleven discharjres may be formed when the reader is informed that Gen. F. was a skillful gunner ; so accurate were his shots that it was a standing rule, at the the shooting matches, that he should not fire his own gun. In speaking of killing six wild ducks at one discharge, on a certain oc- casion, " and Lib.-' said he. " brought them all ashore ;'' "Lib., who was Lib.?" was asked : ''Why, don't you know7 my dog, Liberty." NOTES. 17 [E.] The following is n summary account of tlic celebration, with the name.^ of the committee of arrangements, building com- mittee, &c. On Monday, April 20, 183r>, the GOth anniversary of the battle of Lexington was celebrated at Danvers, by tlie laying of the Corner Stone of a monument in memory of the seven citizens of that town, who were slain in that battle. At 10 o'clock, a procession of revolutionary patriots, and citizens of Danvers and vicinity, was formed m the square fronting the Old South Meeting House, under the direction of the marshals of the day — escorted by the Danvers Light Infantry, under Capt, William Su.tton, and the Danvers Artillery, Capt. A. Pratt, -snth a full band of music — and proceeded through Main street to the burial ground, where lie the remams of several of the slain ; — three volleys of musketry were fired over their graves : — the procession then countermarched to the Eagle Corner, where the monument is to be erected. The order of services was then announced by John W. Proctor, Esq. Rev. Mr. Sewall oifered prayers — Gen. Foster, with the surviving officers and soldiers of the Revolution, proceeded to place the Corner Stone, in which was deposited a box, containing the memorials of the times, &c. Oen. Foster then addressed his fellow citizens. After the Corner Stone was laid, the tune of Auld Lang Syne was per- formed by the Band, and the procession then marched, under a salute of 24 guns from the artillery, and the rmging of the bells, to the Old South Church — where, sixty years before, religious services were held at the interment of four of the young men who were slain at Lexington. This spacious Church was crowd- ed in every part, and hundreds were miable to gain admittance. The following was the order of services: — 1. 100th Psalm — tunc, Denmark. 2. Ilymn, by R. S. Daniels. 3. Prayer, by Rev. Geo. Cowles. 4. Hymn, by F. Pool, jan. 6. Addi-ess, by D. P. King, Esq. 6. Patriotic Ode, by Jona. Shove. 7. Concluding Prayer, by Rev. J. M. Austin. At the close of the services at the church, J. W. Proctor, Esq. presented and read to the audience the oriinnal, honorable discharoie of J. B. Win- Chester, Esf[. from the revolutionary army, (ha\dng served six years and four months, till the close of the war,) bearing the onginal signature of " Gfeorge Washtngfony Mr. Winches- ter entered the contmental amiy at the age of 14 ; and when discharged, he was only 21 years of age. Nineteen survivors of the Lexington fight and of tlio revolutionary army, (who oc- • 3 18 NOTES, oupiod a number of the pews in front of the' pulpit,) greatly heiglitened the interest of the occasion by tlieii* appearance. After the services at the church, a procession was formed, and escorted by the Danvers Light Infantry to the Essex Coffee House, where about two hundred, includmg the above officers and soldiere of the revolution, partook of a collation, prepared by Mr. Benja. Goodridgc. At the close of the collation, several patriotic sentiments and toasts were given by the revolutionary patriots and the company present. The occasion will long be remembered, — as calculated to deepen oui- feelmgs of veneration for the events commemorated — for the exercise of generous feelings m the discharge of an honor due to the glorious dead, — and the ceremonies of the day will remuid us of our obligations to those who spUled their blood in the first offcrmg at the shiine of Liberty. Committee of Arrangements — Jona. Shove, chairman ; Robert S. Daniels, Geo. Osborne, Caleb Lowe, Fitch Pool, jmi., Henry Poor, Nathan Lakeman, Joshua H. Ward. Building Committee — Eben Sutton, Augustus K. Osborne, Daniel P. Kmg, Eben Shillaber, Jolm Whitney. Projector of the 3fo7iument — ^Jolmi Upton. Architect — Asher Benjamin. Marshals — Col. Caleb Lowe, chief marshal ; Alfred Putnam, Eben Sutton, Hiram Preston, Bcnj. Wheeler, Wm. D. Joplhi, Richard Osborne, Samuel P. Fowler, Jona. King, Elijah W. Upton. Tlierc were twenty-nine mdividuals, — survivors of the Lexing- ton fight and of the revolutionary army, invited to attend this celebration, — ^nineteen of whom were present. The following arc the names : — Of Danvers — Gideon Foster, Sylvester Osbomc, Johnson Proctor, Levi Preston, Asa Tapley, Roger Nourse, Joseph Shaw, John Joscelyn, Ej)hi'aim Smith, Jonathan Porter, Joseph Tufts, William Flint. Of Salem — John Howard, Jesse Smith, Jacob B. Winches- ter, Eben Symonds, Charles Richardson, Nathaniel West, Wil- liam Silver, Elijah Pcrldns, Fisk. Of Lynnfield — Thomas Emerson, Eben Hart, Daniel Need- ham, John Upton, Oliver Walton, Ebenczer Parsons. Of Amos Peabody, (who was a soldier under Arnold at West Pomt.) NOTES. 19 [F.] Gen. FuSTER was burled in that beautiful part of Harmony Grove, near the intersection of Mai^nolia Path with Sylvan Ave- nue. It is on the brow of the hill, in full view from the west- ern, or Danvers entrance to the Cemeter}'', and is a conspicuous place for a moniunent, wliich we hope the friendly and patriotic feehn.i^s of of his townsmen Avill soon cause to be erected over his remains. This lot was presented to the family of the deceased by Gen. William Sutton. i APPENDIX. The fii-st occasion on which General Foster with liis company faced the enemy, was in Salem, at the defeat of General Leslie ; and as the details of this ever memorable incident possess much of interest, it may riot be thought inappropriate to insert here a short accoimt, preserved m that Valuable work, the American Arcliivcs : — Salem, Feb. 28th, 1775. Last Sabbath, the 2Gthmst., the peace of the town was dis- turbed by the lauduig of a regiment of the king's troops, the particulars relative to wliich arc as follows : A transport arrived at MurbleJwad, apparently manned as usual. Between two and three o'clock, as soon as the people had gone to meeting) the decks were covered with soldiers, who having loaded, and fixed their bayonets, landed with great des- patch, and instantly marched off. Some of the inhabitants sus- pecting they Avere bound to Salem, to seize some materials there preparing for an artillery, despatched several messengers to in- form us of it. These materials Avere on the north side of the North River, and to come at them it was necessiy to cross a bi-idge, one part of which was made to draw up to let vessels pass. The inhabitants kept a look out for the appearance of the troops. The van guard arrived, and took theu- route down town as far as the Long Wharf, perhaps to decoy the uiliabi- tants thither, away from the place to Avliich the main body was destined. The main body arrived soon after, and halted a few minutes by the Town House. It is said that mquiry was imme- diately made by some of the officers for a half brother of Col. Browne the Mandamus Counsellor. Be this as it may, he was seen whispering in the Colonel's ear, in the front of the regiment, and when he parted from the Col. the regiment marched with a quick pace towards tlie North Bridge ; just before entering upon which the bridge was pulled up. The regiment however push- ed on till they came to the bridge, not observing (as it seemed) that it was drawn up. The Col. expressed some surprise : and tumuig about, ordered an officer to face his company to a body 22 ' APPENDIX. of men standing on a wliarf on the otlier side of the draw bridge and to fire. One of our townsmen (who had kept along side of the Col. from the time he marched from his own house) toldhun he had l)etter not fire ; tliat he had no right to fire without fm-- ther orders, and if you do fire (said he) you will be all dead men. The company neither faced nor fired. The Colonel re- tired to the centre of his re^ncnt, assembled his oflRcers and held a consultation ; Avhich beuig ended he advanced a little, and declared he would maintain his ground, and go over the bridge if it was a month first. The same townsman replied, he might stay there as long as he pleased no one cared for that. The half brother before mentioned, (it is said) made toAvards the bridge, but seeing the draw bridge up said "it is all over with us." He has since disappeared, meanwliilc twd large gondolas that lay agi-ound (tor it -was low wxiter) were scuttled, lest they should cross the channel in them. But whilst one gentleman was scut- ling his own gondola, a party of about twenty soldiers jumped into it, and Avith their bayonets charged against oiu- miarmed toAvnsraen, (some of whom they pricked) compelled them to quit it ; but before this a sufficient hole Avas made in the bottom. This attack of the soldiers, and some other occurrences occasion- ed a httle bickermg, but by the mtcrposition of some of the in- habitants, the disjiutes subsided. At length some gentleman ask- ed the Colonel \vhat Avas his design in making this movement, and Avhy he would cross the bridge ? He said, I have orders to cross it, and he Avould cross it if he lost liis life Avith the lives of all his men ; and asked, why the king's highway Avas obstruct- ed ? He Avas told it was not the king's road, but tlie property of the inhabitants, avIio bad a right to do Avhat they [)leased Avith it. Finally tlic Col. said he must go over, and if the bridge Avas let doAvn so as he might pass, he pledged his honor he Avould not march above thirty rods beyond it, and then immediately return. The regiment had now been at the bridge about an hour and a half; and everything being secvu'ed, tlic inlial»itants directed the bridge might ])e let down. The regiment immediately passed over, marched a few rods, returned, and Avitli great expedition Avent back to MarUchead, Avhere they Avent on board the trans- port Avithout delay. When all the circumstances are considered, there' can remain no doubt that the solo purpose of this manoouvrc Avas to steal away the artillery materials. It is regretted that an officer of Col. LesUe''s acknoAvledged worth, should be obliged, in obedience to his orders, to come upon so pitiful an errand. Various reports Avere spread abroad respect- ing the troops ; the country Avas alarmed, and one company arrived in arms from Dan vers, just as the troops left the town. We im- APPENDIX. mediately desjiatchcil niessengeris to the neiishes will be with you ; — and may the seed sown on the com- 24 APPENDIX. m^ fourtli of Jvily at Concord, ripen into a puccessful liaiTcst on the second Monday of Noveml>er next, throughout the good county of jNIiddlesex. With the highest respect, Youi- friend and fellow laborer, GIDEON POSTER. To Daniel Shattuck, Esq., Chairman of Committee of Ar- rangements at Concord, Mass. Remarks of Gen. Gideon Foster, on visiting Bunker Hill, June 17th, 1843. [From liis manuscript copy.] By the merciful kindness of that overraling providence which has preserved my life and health for more than ninety-four years ^ I am able to meet my friends and fellow countrymen on this in- teresting occasion. I thank God that it is so. When I look aromid, and see how feiVy very few remain of those who were here with me sixty-eU^it years ago, I am most forcibly reminded of the improbability of our ever meeting again. My part in the events of the ever memorable 17th of June, 1775, was a Immble one — but such as it was, it has ever been to me a source of high satisfaction, that it was in my power to con- tribute my mite in the service of my country at that time. On that day the seeds of civil lil;)crty, maintained by the blood 'of Imndrcds of freemen, received an impulse that made their growth perpetual in this western hemisphere. Excited as I then was with an ardent love of liberty, — pro- voked as I then was Avith the Avorse than savage cruelties that I myself had witnessed, but a few months before on the plains of Lexington, I lost no time in seeking an opportmiity to save my country. I received a commission as captain in Col. ]\Iansfield's regiment, and by the express orders of Gen. Ward, the then commander-in-chief of the American forces about Cambridge, I was occupied Avith my men, in transporting and dehvering powder and balls to be used on the hill. We took the ammmii- tion in casks, and conveyed it in wagons, and delivered it freely with our hands and our dippers, to their Iwrns, their poekets. their hats, and Avhate\'cr else they had that would hold it. T well APPENDIX. 2b remember the blackened appearance of those busy in this Avork, — not unUke those engaged in the dehvery of coal on a hot sum- mer's day. At the same time we were thus occupied, the ene- my's shot were constantly wliisthng by ; but we had no time to examine their character or dimensions. I have often thought what might have been our condition, had one of these hot shot unceremoniously come in contact witli our wagons. JN'Iany have been the changes our country has ' experienced since that day. From a little one, w'e have become a thousand, — from a small one, we have become a great people. We, who struggled in her infancy, have witnessed the strength and \dgor of her maturity ; — so that no fear need now be had of any foreign foe. While the wisdom and integrity that characterized the pat- riots of '76 shall be deemed qualities essential in the character of those who rule over us, no power on earth can prevail against us. I thank my God, that I have been permitted to see this glorious day, on this consecrated spot. Dedicated to liberty, may it ever be surrounded by sons, worthy as those who have offered them- selves as the first sacrifice at her altar. The house in Danvers, a stately mansion, which was occupied by the last British governor of Massachusetts, is now owned and occupied by a descendant of the last Dutch governor of New York, Rov. P. S. Tenbroeck, the grandson of Gen. Abraham Tenbroeck, who filled a conspicuous and honorable place in the northern campaign of 1777. The following anecdotes are from Col. Perley Putnam, whose father was wounded and his uncle killed, in the battle of Lexington. Near the encampment was a large oak tree, afterwards known as king George's whipping post. \Mien the frigate Essex was built in Salem, this tree was felled ; and on hewing the timber the iron staple, to which tlie soldiers had been confined for pun- ishment, was found imbedded in the wood. King George's whippmg post was converted into the stern post of the Essex frigate. The house which Gen. Gage occupied was much ornamented, and is still a stately edifice for this part of the co\mtry. In its front were heavy posts omamented with large balls or spheres, which were sheatlied wltli lead. As a party of our counti-ymen were going to join the patriot army, the tempting sight of the 4 26 APPENDIX. lead made tliem forget private rights and they began to strip the spheres. The OAVTier of the mansion was supposed to be in the British interest — he came to the door, called them rebels and knaves, and, as was natural, used strong and plain language. One man pomted his musket towards him and fired, and the mark of the bullet still remains in the door by which he was standing. It has been said that the British soldiers who were encamped in Danvers were concerned for their personal safety — that they were apprehensive the people would attack them, and that a portion of them went off suddenly and in the night. The fol- lowing extract from the Essex Gazette of August 23d, 1774, makes the tradition more probable : — " Part of the 64th re^- ment encamped near the Governor's, we hear, were under armis all last Friday night." tst Company of Militia. Samuel Flmt, Captain ; Daniel Putnam, 1st Lieut ; Joseph Putnam, 2d do ; Asa Prince, Ensign. 2d Coynpany of Militia. Samuel Eppes, Captam ; Benjamin Jacobs, 1st Lieut ; John Endicott, 2d do ; Francis Simonds, Ensign. Zd Company of Militia. Jeremiah Page, Captain ; Enoch Putnam, 1st Lieut ; William To-\\'ne, 2d do ; Joseph Porter, Ensign. 3Enute Men. Gideon Foster, Commander. Israel Hutchinson, Com'd'r. Denison Willis was taken prisoner ; the British soldiers were so much enraged by the severe treatment which they were re- ceiving from our marksmen that the officers could not prevent them from killing the prisoners ; finding that this must be his fate, he attempted to make his escape ; the enemy fired upon him, and he received twelve wounds ; he fell as he was leaping I APPENDIX, 27 a wall, and they supposing him dead, left him. Nathan Putnam, a brother of Perley, who Avas killed, was severely wounded in the shoulder, lie, as Avell as Henry Putnam, of Medford, who was killed on the same memorable day, were relatives of Gen. Israel Putnam, so celebrated for his corn-age and for liis services in the French, Indian and revolutionary wars. Gen. Putnam was a native of Danvers. Daland and Southwick left families. The ages of those who were killed, belonging to Danvers, follow : — Samuel Cook, 33 years. Jotham Webb, 22 years. Benj. Daland, 25 " Henry Jaco))s, 22 " Geo. Southwick, 25 " Eben'r Goldthwait, 22 « Perley Putnam, 21 " Capt. Flint and three other captains, were returned as drafted for the same company ; they had only twenty-four hours to pre- pare for their march to New York ; they met at Leach's tavern and chose Samuel Fhnt, commander; the other captains filled the subordinate offices. Capt. F. and his first lieutenant, Her- rick, of Beverly, were killed m the same battle. Capt. F. is supposed to have been the only officer belonging to Danvers slain in the Avar. His reply to an officer who proposed a place of meeting on the 19th April, was characteristic of the man and the times, " where the enemy is, there will you meet me." I have seen a manuscript book which giA^es the following ac- comit of captain, afterwards Col. Israel Hutchinson's services. In 1757, he Avas in the eastern country on a scouting party com- manded by Capt. Israel Herrick. In 1758, he Avas heutenant in Capt. Andi-ew Fuller's company ; he Avas at Lake George, and at the defeat of Ticonderoga with Gen. Abbercrombie. In 1759, he commanded a company of provmcials in Wolfe's army at the siege and capture of Quebec. In 1775, he commanded a com- pany of minute men in the battle of Lexington. Soon after he was appointed Lieut. Colonel in Col. Mansfield's regiment. Mansfield soon retired and left liim in command till the end of the term for Avhich the men had engaged. In the same year he enlisted for twelve months 832 men, which AA'as more than the complement for a full regiment. He returned to the siege of Boston, and on the evacuation by the British, he occupied Fort 28 APPENDIX. Hill, and was ordered to fortify it. He remained in Boston, and on Dorchester Heights, till October — Avhen he was ordered to join the army in New York. The small ]tox being on board his vessel, Gen. Washington woidd not suffer a man to land ; he was then ordered to King's Bridge to take command of Fort Lee, — from which he was ordered over to Fort Washington to take command there and build and finish the same. Col. H. died in 1811. On the 17th of June, 1775, Capt. Gideon Foster was quarter- ed at Brighton, then called Little Cambridge. He Avas directed to repair to head quarters, (a house near the Colleges, now owned and occupied by Rev. Dr. Holmes,) where Gen. Ward in person ordered him to conduct a load of ammiition to Bunker Hill and distribute it among the brave men en2:ao;ed there. Gen. Ward told him there was no occasion for more men, but he was fearful their ammunition would fail. Capt. F. proceeded with all expe- dition toward the hill, and met the Americans on their retreat near Charlestown neck ; they had spent all then- poAvder, and he supplied them with it, loose from the casks. Col. Mansfield's regiment Avas stationed on Prospect Hill where Gen. Putnam commanded ; Capt. Foster belonged to this regiment. By orders from the general, all the captains were desu'ed to meet. It was stated to them that a secret and hazard- ous expedition Avas planned, and that it Avas desired that a captain should volunteer to take the command. After waiting a short time for older officers to volunteer, Capt. F. offered his services. Six or eight men were drafted from each company ; they Avere ordered to arm and equip themselves completely and to repair to Gen. Putnam's quarters. The bluff old general came out and rcAdewed them and commended their spirits and good appear- ance ; he ordered them to lay aside their arms and ecjuipments, to provide themselves Avith axes, and to go into a neighboring swamp and cut fascines, (brushwood bound up in the fashion of faggots,) and to bring them m upon their shoulders. The men expected to gain honor by their exposure to miknoAvn dangers : but their greatest danger Avas from the attack of the musquitos, and their greatest exposure Avas to the mirth of their fclloAV sol- diers. APPENDIX. 29 In 1792, Gideon Foster was promoted from the office of Cap- tain to that of Colonel; in 1796, he was chosen Brigadier Gen- eral ; ui 1801, he was chosen ISIajor General, and received every vote in the House of Representatives, and there was but one dissentuig voice in the Senate. Extract from the Address of Rev. T. Sargent, at the ordina- tion of Mr. Frank P. Appleton, as pastor of the First Unitariau Church m Danvers : Within a few months some of the more aged and influential members of your church, those who had stood here as among its pillars, haxe fallen by the weight of years and gone by the way of death, through the gate of shadows, and by the message of the Almighty which has called them to their rest. " Your fathers ! where are they ?" I look around here and they of the hoary heads whom I used to see with you in the late summer days, bendmg reverently in tliis sanctuary, are no longer A\ith you. They are gathered, fitly enough, witliui the last harvest months, hke "shocks of corn," mto the garner of that heavenly inheritance they have won. That memorable patriarch^ of yom* society who had numbered so many years, and who stood so nearly on the edge of a century, the revered veteran who leaned upon his staff so near tliis altar, and so constantly, even after his hearing had failed, — the aged sii-e who stood so like the moss- grown monument of the past, — that wondrous old admonition of yom* duty m the sanctuary, has gone. His ear was not so keen as yours, young men, to take ui the word of God from his spoken or written oracles in this place ; but you are happy indeed, if you bring to this place of prayer as keen a faith, as willing a spirit of obedience and trnth, or as constant a reverence for the sanctuary and its objects as he did. That familiar forai, so bent •with age, had seen the day when it stood erect enough in defence of our liberties ; and that old hand of his, now mingling with the dust of this land for whose freedom he contended, took fast and faithful hold of the horns of this altar even to his latter days. Yes I — It may not be forgotten either hj you or by any of us, that " the sword of the spirit" was firm in the grasp of * Deacon Gideon Foster, who died Nov. 1st, 1S45, aged S7. 30 APPENDIX. that old man even to the last, and long after he had laid aside " the sword of Gideon" which he bore once to yonder heights, in the fear of God and in behalf of human rights. But he has gone. Gen. Gideon Foster retained a remarkable degi'ee of vigor both of body and mind most of the time during the three last years of his life. In each of these years he mowed, more or less, chopped wood, and managed personally all his pecuniary transactions, and other matters incumbent on the overseer of a small fanning estabhshment. He was never idle, and when at work, even iiji cold weather, would often throw off his coat, and expose himself as much to the effects of cold as the hardiest la])orers were wont to do. Whenever, from much exposui*e or other causes, he became indisposed, his mind suffered apparently more than his body — ^from febrile symptoms and a mild insanity or delerium. From several such attacks of disease within the time above mentiontioned, he recovered. But on the last week in (October, after working an hour or two with his coat off, one day rather cold and micomfortable for the season, he began to complain of a catarrh affection — with which he kept about, doing his chores, for two or three days, duiing which some mental abber- rations were noticed, especially at night, Avhen his strength be- came so prostrated that he could not rise from his bed. Enervation, prostration of strength, etc., which accompany as constitutional symptoms, the complaint of which many old people die, called bastard penpneumony, (although in this case the catarrahal affection was neither suffocating or severe), grad- ually increased upon him. Fever and hard working delerium closed the scene on the morning of Nov. 1, 1845. ANDREW NICHOLS, Attending Physician. The news of Gen. Foster's death came upon our citizens when they were wholly miprepared to expect it, and spread a gloom over the whole town. Flags were displayed at half mast, and a spontaneous meeting of the people was held to consider the proper APPENDIX. 31 means of testifying the public respect to his memory. A com- mittee was then appointed to consult the friends of the deceased and make arrangements for the funeral. The following were the proceedings of the meeting. At a voluntary meeting of the citizens of Danvers, held at the Town Rooms, on that day, to see what arrangements should be made in relation to the funeral of Gen. Gideon Foster, Dr. Andrew Nichols was chosen Chairman, and Fitch Poole, Secretary. It was Voted, That a committee of three be chosen to report resolutions, expressive of the feehngs of the citizens of Danvers on the death of Gen. Foster. Dr. A. Nichols, John W. Proctor, and W. D. Northend were accordingly chosen, who reported the following resolutions : — Resolved, That we have heard with deep regret, the death of our fellow citizen, the venerable Gen. Gideon Foster, in the 97th year of his age, and that we feel it to be a duty due to his distinguished life and virtues, publicly to notice this event. Resolved, That a committee of nine citizens be appointed to make the necessary arrangements for Ms funeral, at such time as may be agreeable t# his family. The resolutions were unanimously adopted, and the following persons chosen as the committee, viz : — John W. Proctor, Gen. Wm. Sutton, Robert S. Daniels, Fitch Poole, EUjah W. Upton, Henry Fowler, Daniel P. King, George Osborne, Caleb Lowe. It was then Voted, That Gen. Sutton be requested to provide a military escort for the procession. Agi-ceablc to these arrangements, the body was brought to the Unitarian Church on Monday, where the solemn funeral services were perfonncd. After a voluntary on the Organ, prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Flint of Salem, followed by a funeral hymn by the the chou*. An eulogy was then dehvered by Hon. Daniel P. King, which was Ustcned to with deep and solemn attention by a very large audience. The exercises closed by a prayer, offered by Rev. Mr. Field, and a funeral anthem by the choir. The eulogy was an eloquent and just tribute to the character and services of the deceased, accompanied with such considerations 32 APPENDIX. and appeals as were well calculated to awaken feelings of patriot- ism and gratitude in the minds of the people. After the services at tlie church, the body was placed in the hearse, and the procession formed in the following order ; — ESCORT, consisting of the Salem Artillery, the Danvers Lisht Infantry, the Salem Light Infantry, and the Lynn Rifle Corps, (the latter bearing a banner presented by the hands of Gen. Foster to the company in 1836. This banner was shrouded in crape. The escort was a detach- ment from Gen, Sutton's brigade, and was under the im- mediate command of Colonel Andrews.) Hearse, flanked by a military guard, Family of the deceased, in carriages. Brig. Gen. Sutton and Staif, and ]\Iilitary Officers in uniform, in carriages. Committee of Arrangements, Officiating and other Clergy, Civil Officers of the town, Danvers Mechanic Institute, Fire Department, " Gen. Foster" Engine Co. No. 7, in dark dress with badges, " Volunteer" Engine Co. No. 8, with badg^ and in firemen's uniform, Citizens of the neighboring towns. Citizens of Danvers. The procession moved with slow and solemn steps to Harmony Grove Cemetery, and on arrival at the ground the mihtary formed a line, facing the gTave. The body was then lowered into the earth, and three volUes fired over the remains. Agreeably to military usage, the troops formed again in column and marched off at a quick pace, the band playing a quick step. The bells ceased tolling, and the flags, which had been hanging at half mast since the tune of Gen. Foster's death, were now raised to the peak, and the vast multitude who had assembled, notwith- standuig the mifavorable weather, departed to their homes. LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 014 077 905 2 1 \