When Leviathan Attacks its Own People | Part 4

The reaction to the battle at Lexington and Concord was swift because most of the colonist had been expecting the conflict and many relished the fight with England. It is said that in America at the time, opinion was divided into thirds. One third were loyalist to the Crown, one third were revolutionaries and one third were trying to be neutral. The Scots-Irish in Windham, were by in large revolutionaries, because of having been abused by the Crown and the London merchants in Northern Ireland.

       Leonard Morrison says in his History of Windham that the militias knew about the battle at Lexington and Concord by the early afternoon of the day of the attack. Speaking of the attack Morrison says, “ The ride was successful, the precautions for secrecy by the British failed, the brave yeomanry rallied, made their first stand in defense of American liberty, and the British troops retired to Boston. The soil of Concord became sacred ground, consecrated forever more to American liberty, for there the first blood of the revolution was shed.”

     “ ‘The die was cast.’ Men no longer hesitated; the time for argument had ceased, and the supreme moment for vigorous, prolonged and glorious action was upon the American people. The news of the advance of the British spread with amazing rapidity. Swift couriers rode through the country to rouse the minute-men. The news reached Windham probably the forenoon of April 19, by mounted express, who rode through the town to arouse the minute-men and the public generally. Passing rapidly from house to house, he shouted ‘The regulars are coming! The regulars are coming!’ and was gone.” Can you imagine how the residents of Windham felt at that moment when war arrived at their very doorstep?

     “One of the couriers rode up to the house of William Dinsmoor, the father of the elder Gov. Samuel Dinsmoor…” “It was a cry of defiance, and not of fear; A voice in the darkness, a rap on the door, And a word that shall echo forever more.”

     “Captain Joseph Clyde, who commanded the company of minute-men in town, was plowing in his field when the tidings reached him. He left his plowshare in the mould, and started immediately to head his company, each man having been notified. The women —wives, mothers, and sisters of the soldiers — went to work and immediately cooked a large amount of food, and sent it to the front for the men. One of Captain Clyde’s brothers loaded his horse quite heavily with provisions which his mother had cooked and followed after the company.”

     The muster roll of this company cannot be found, and it is not known how far this company went nor the length of their service, not the names of the men. It is not improbable that they met the New Hampshire militia near Boston, as Captain’ Clyde’s pay-roll to Cambridge, for the services of his men, was 35 pounds, 8 cents.

     “Men from town were enlisted in the service immediately after the ‘Alarm’ April 23, 1775. James Caldwell, Samuel Caldwell, John Caldwell, and Nathaniel Burrows.”

     “The first allusion to the political difficulties of the times, found upon the town records, was May 25, 1775,— ‘five weeks’ after the Battle of Lexington, when James Betton and John Morrison, selectmen, called a meeting of the town for June 2. On that date, Lieut. Samuel Morrison was chosen to preside, and it was ‘Voted,’ To send one delegate to ye congress at this time, and John Dinsmoor was chosen to that end. ‘Voted’ that our delegate, John Dinsmoor, shall use his best endeavors to procure some powder for the town, either our proportion of the province store, or procure it anywhere else with money.”

     “The Committee of Inspection, 1775, was essentially the war counsel for the town. It consisted of George Davidson, Peter Merrill, Samuel Morrison, Robert Hemphill, Joseph Smith, John Dinsmoor, James Gilmore, Nehemiah Hadley and William Campbell.”

     “So ended the first town-meeting after the commencement of the great conflict which would deprive England of thirteen of her provinces to a proud and independent nation, and institute a new form of government in the earth, which should revolutionize the political ideas and institutions of men. Fifteen days after this meeting, on the 17th of June, 1775,was fought the battle of Bunker Hill, and Charlestown was laid in ruin.”

      There is an interesting side-note about “loyalist” chimneys in New England which today refers to “white-painted chimneys, sometimes with a black cap, that were said to be a signal of loyalty to the British Crown during the American Revolution.  These chimneys are often found on older houses, particularly along the New England coast. While the “loyalist chimney” theory is popular, it’s important to note that the symbolism of white chimneys is complex and open to interpretation Some propose that white chimneys were also associated with the Underground Railroad, signaling homes that were safe havens for escaping slaves. In the 1800s, white chimneys may have also been associated with abolitionists or homes that were part of the Underground Railroad. The “loyalist chimney” theory is not universally accepted, and there’s ongoing debate about the true meaning and intent of these white-painted chimneys. Some scholars suggest that the “loyalist chimney” theory may have emerged as a popular folk tradition or legend rather than a well-documented historical fact.”