The Background in Windham | Part 1

“Fifteen  days  after  this  meeting,  on  the 17th  of  June,  1775,  was fought  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  Charlestown  was  laid  in ashes.  The Battle of Bunker Hill, fought on June 17, 1775, was a crucial early battle of the American Revolutionary War. While the British won the battle, they suffered heavy casualties, demonstrating the strong colonial resistance. The battle, fought primarily on Breed’s Hill (though misnamed after Bunker Hill), saw the British forces ultimately driving the American militia from the hill, but at a high cost.” 

     “The  Provincials  had  met  the  trained,  disciplined  troops of  England,  and  had  not  found  them  invincible.  With  electrical speed  the  story  of  the  battle  went  through  the  land.  The  cannonading during  the  battle  had  been  heard  in  Windham;  her  sons had  mingled  in  the  deadly  fray,  and  some  of  them  had  sealed their  devotion  to  American  liberty,  by  offering  themselves  as  a sacrifice upon  its  altar.  Tradition  says  that  five  of  her  sons  were  slain,  but  the  names  of  only  one  has  come  down  to  us,  namely, Thomas  Collins,  who  died  on  Winter  Hill. In  Capt.  Elisha  Woodbury’s  company,  Colonel  Stark’s  regiment, of  Salem,  were  John  Kincaid  and  William  Duty,  who enlisted  April  23  to  Aug.  1,  1775.”

    “In  Capt.  John  Marcy’s  company  was  Joseph  Park. John  Jameson  was  not  in  the  battle,  but  enlisted  in  Captain Woodbury’s  company,  July  10,  1775. John  Montgomery  of  the  centre  of  the  town  was  in  the  battle. John  Simpson  and  William  Simpson  were  in  the  fight  in  this company.  John  Simpson  had  a  part  of  his  hand  shot  away  by  a cannon  ball.  This  fact  was  attested  to  by  Dr.  Isaac  Thom,  of Windham,  and  he  was  placed  upon  the  invalid  list,  and  received half  pay  from  Jan.  1,  1776,  to  Sept.  12,  1786,  inclusive,  to  the

amount  of  £127.”

CASULTIES AND LOSSES

     John  Simpson,  lost  a  gun,  value  £1.  10s.

     Ephraim  Kyle,  1  gun  and  bayonet,  £2.  2s.

     Thomas  Collins,  killed,  lost  1  gun,  £2,  8s.

     “In  Capt.  George  Reid’s  company  from  Londonderry,  which marched  to  Medford  and  joined  the  American  forces,  and  were  in the  Bunker  Hill  fight,  are  the  following  men  from  Windham:  — Lieut.  Abraham  Reid. Allen  Hopkins.  Thomas  Wilson. Alexander  Brown.  John  Hopkins.  William  Clyde. James  Gilmore.  Ebenezer  Mcllvain. David  Gregg. This  list  is  as  it  stood  July  28,  1775. In  Capt.  Hugh  Maxwell’s  company,  in  10th  regiment  Continental army, commanded  by  Col.  William  Prescott,  were  Arthur  Darrah  and  William  Darrah,  of  Windham.”    “I  shall  give  of  the  Windham  soldiers  in  the  Revolution. Men in service  eight  months,  and  were    probably   serving  for   Londonderry and were  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill…The  record  of  these  men,  and  many  others  from  New  Hampshire towns,  can  be  found  on  the  ”  Coat  Rolls,”  and  other  muster  rolls  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  of  Massachusetts,  at Boston. The  “Coat  Roll”  were  so  called  from  the  fact  that  the  men were,  at  the  end  of  their  term  of  service,  each  to  receive  a  coat as  a  bounty.  By  a  resolve  passed  by  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts, June  29,  1775,  13,000  coats  were  ordered  for  this  purpose, and  vouchers  for  them  are  on  file  in  the  State  Department of  Massachusetts.”

     “The  news  of  the  attack  at  Bunker  Hill  reached  Windham  in the  night,  and  in  the  morning  the  people  assembled,  and  assistance of  men  and  provisions  was  instantly  dispatched  for  the place  of  hostilities,  the  men  setting  out  on  foot,  and  others  following on  horseback,  with  needful  provisions. “

    “At  the  time  of  the  battle,  some  of  the  Windham  men  rallied to  aid  the forces  in  the  field.  They  left  their  homes  hurriedly, and  reached  Andover  before  Alexander  Park,  one  of  the  men, noticed  that  he  had  left  his  powder-horn  at  Windham.  The  battle was  over,  and  they  returned  to  their  homes.  Two  days  after the  battle,  the  selectmen  gave  their  townsmen  a  three  days’  notice to  tarry  after  the  sermon  on  Thursday,  the  twenty-second  day  of June.”

     “The  twenty-second  day  of  June,  1775,  was  a  notable  day  in the  history  of  the  town,  one  long  to  be  remembered,  and  of  which the  successors  of those  humble  worshippers  and  sturdy  men  who gathered  together  in  the  little  church  on  Cemetery  Hill  may  well be  proud.  After  the  preparatory  exercises  for  the  sacred  observances of  the  following  Sabbath,  the  worthy  men  of Windham convened  and  consulted  together  for  the  general  good.  There was  no  unseemly  haste  or  unmanly  fear,  but  with  calm  heroism and  self-reliant  spirits  they  met  the  momentous  issues  of  the  hour. Religion  and  patriotism  were  thus  harmoniously  blended,  and  a fitting  precedent  established  for  succeeding  generations.  At  this meeting,  James  Betton,  Esq.,  was  chosen  a  “Delegate  to  Represent this  Parish  at  the  Congress  at  Exeter  at  their  Next  sitting.”

     “Voted to  let  the  Constables  warrant  Stand  as  they  are  with the  words  His  Majesty’s  Name  in  them  until  we  Have  the  advice of  the  Provincial  Congress.”

Voted,  to  add  — John  Dinsmoor,  Nehemiah  Hadley, James  Gilmore,  William  Campbell, to  the  Committee  of  Inspection  for  Windham. So  closed  the  second  town-meeting  after  the  commencement  of the  bloody  drama  of  the  Revolution” 

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.”