94 American Antiquarian Society. [Oct.

A FORGOTTEN PATRIOT.BY HENRY S. N0UU8E.

O F self-sacrificing patriots who in troublous times haveproved themselves worthy the lasting gratitude of the com-monwealth, very many have found no biographer ; but noneseem more completely forgotten, even in the towns ofwhich they were once the ruling spirits, than the officerswho led the Massachusetts yeomanry during those tediouscampaigns of the French and Indian War, which awoke theBritish colonies to consciousness of their strength andthereby hastened the founding of the Republic. A few in-cidents in the honorable career of one of these unremem-bered patriots—one whom perhaps diffidence only, pre-vented from being a very conspicuous figure in the battlesfor independence—I have brought together, and offer asfaint, unsatisfying outlines of an eventful and useful life.

In "Appleton's Cyclopœdia of American Biography,"published in 1889, twenty-two lines are given to GeneralJohn Whitcomb, nearly every date and statement in whichis erroneous. It is alleged therein that he was born "about1720, and died in 1812"; and the brief narrative is embel-lished with a romantic tale wholly borrowed from the mili-tary experience of a younger brother. Colonel Asa Whitcomb.Biographical notes in volumes XII. and XVIII. of theEssex Institute Historical Collections perpetuate like errorsof date. Even in the most voluminous histories of thebuilding of the Eepublic, this general's name is barely, ornot at all mentioned.

John Whitcomb, or Whetcomb as the family always

1890.] A Forgotten Patriot. 95

wrote the name until within the present century, was bornin that part of Lancaster, Massachusetts, which becameBolton, in 1738, the eldest son of John and Rebecca ; bein»of the fourth generation from John Whetcomb, one of theoriginal proprietors of the township, who came fromDorchester, England, about 1633. The exact date of hisbirth is not found, but in Rev. John Prentice's register it isset down that he was baptized, February 20, 171| . Hewas then about two years of age, for the modest slate-stonethat marks his grave in the oldest burial-ground of Boltonrecords that "John Whetcomb, Esq., died November 17,1785, in the 73 year of his age." Not only does his epi-taph ignore the military rank of this soldier of three wars,but it closes with "Blessed are the peace-makers, for theyshall be called the children of God."

Of the boy John not very much can be learned. Beforehis seventh birthday he' had lost his father by death, and hismother survived her husband but a few years. He wasplaced in the guardianship of his uncle, Joseph Sawyer, thevillage blacksmith, and no doubt grew up in the little ruralcommunity that had gathered about the old garrison-house*which his father's uncle Josiah had built, and of whichJosiah's son was yet commandant. From items in the finan-cial account of his stewardship rendered by the guardian,we may infer that John had ailments, and swallowed theusual drastic doses ; and that .these were mostly adminis-tered to him by a relative, Doctress Mary Whetcomb — thefirst medical practitioner resident in Lancaster — who, asMary (Hayward) Fairbank, had been widowed in the mas-sacie of 1697, and carried to Canada ; and who claimed tohave brought from her two years' captivity among the Indi-ans a rare acquaintance with Nature's remedies. He wentto school from eight to twelve weeks in the year, and thetown's schoolmaster, Edward Broughton, taught him toread, write and cipher passably well ; but if spelling was oneof the educational exercises of his school, John never much

96 American Antiquarian Society. [Oct.

profited thereby. Every Sabbath he accompanied his eldersto the meeting-house, five miles distant, to hear the impres-sive exhortations of the Eeverend John Prentice, and doubt-less was well drilled in the catechism. Living upon theverge of English settlement, in an age when extreme fru-gality was compulsory upon all, and life to the majority ananxious scramble for covering and food, he certainly didnot long eat the bread of idleness.

Now and then bands of inarauding Indians made theirpresence felt not far away, and as soon as John was strongenough to handle his musket well, he in his turn was de-tailed to serve as a ranger in the scouting-parties that werekept constantly scouring the woods at the north and west,in search of the skulking foe. He was not old enough to beaccepted as a volunteer by the noted captains Lovewell andWhite, in their scalping excursions, but he no doubt list-ened with envious admiration to the-thrilling stories of theirprowess, told by his neighbors, the local heroes of Indianwarfare, when they brought home their bloody spoils ofambush and slaughter. The life with its peculiar restraints

" and privations, yet large liberty, could but'favor expansionof character, and promote hardihood and self-reliance.

Upon attaining manhood, John Whetcomb received amoiety of his father's estate, coining into possession of thehomestead in Bolton, then described as one hundred andthirty acres of land, with buildings. Limestone had beendiscovered upon or near this land, and the manufacture oflime became, in after time, the source of a generous incometo him ; the product of his kiln exceeding that from anyother quarry in Eastern Massachusetts. He was marriedto Mary Carter, June 12, 1735. She died in February,1744, at the age of twenty-six, leaving three daughters.The following year he took a second wife, Becky Whetcomb,a girl of eighteen, who, in due time, made him father ofsix more daughters and three sons. The twelve childrenall lived to a ripe age, surviving their father.

1890.1 A Forgotten Patriot. 97

In the absence of all muster-rolls of the two companiesthat enlisted from Lancaster and vicinity in 1745, to servewith Colonel Samuel Willard at the siege of Louisburg, itcannot be told whether John Whetcomb volunteered in thatpopular and brijliantly successful expedition. If in theservice, it was not as an oflScer ; but three years later hisname appears with the title lieutenant, in the pay-roll ofthe Lancaster troop sent in pursuit of a party of savagesfleeing for Canada with the trophies of a murderous raid.He had become the foremost citizen of Bolton. As regu-larly as the March town-meeting came he was chosen oneof the selectmen, and usually held one or two other townoflices. When, in May, 1748, he was first elected a mem-ber of the General Court, he could not be persuaded toaccept the honor, and Bolton was unrepresented ; but there-after, until called to a higher civil office in 1773, he wasnearly always the town's representative, when any waschosen, holding that office for at least twenty years. In1754, he was appointed justice of the peace. He hado-ained recognition in all the country around as an able naanof affairs, whose word was an ample bond.

Whatever his previous military experience may havebeen, he had won fair repute by it, for, upon the breakingout of the French and Indian War, he was cornmissionedlieutenant-colonel in the regiment raised by ColonelSamuel Willard, jr., for the first Crown Point expedition.He was with his command in the desperate battle of Sep-tember 8, 1755, at Lake George, and at the close of thecampaign led the regiment home, having been promoted tothe colonelcy, October 27, at the death of Willard.

In the spring of 1756, the Council, when organizing asecond expedition against Crown Point, resolved to establisha Committee of War, with headquarters at Albany, " to takecare for the transportation of provisions and other stores forthe use of the forces of the Province." Colonel Whetcombwas one of the three finally appointed upon this committee,

7

98 American Antiquarian Society. [Oct.

and is found busy with his official cares during the summerand autumn. Though onerous, his duties were not compli-cated by any grand strategic movement, for, owing to thelethargy of Abercrombie and Loudoun, the army did notleave its original base of supplies.

In 1758, the vigorous policy of Pitt, and the payment ofthe Provincial claims for military expenditures arousedMassachusetts to enthusiastic preparation for a renewal ofthe struggle with the traditional foe. John Whetcombwent to the frontier, again as lieutenant-colonel, his brother

' serving under him as captain. It was his regiment, led byits colonel—Jonathan Bagley, another forgotten hero ofthis war—that made the victorious charge upon the Frenchadvance guard near Ticonderoga, on July 5, in whichLord Howe, the inspiring genius of the army, was slain.For so brief an engagement—it lasted but an hour—theregiment's loss was quite heavy. Reverend JohnCleaveland, chaplain of the conimand, was the intimatefriend of Colonel Whetcomb and occupied the same log-hutwith him in the encampment at Lake George. PromCleaveland's diary, and that of the regimental surgeon,Caleb Rea, many interesting' particulars respecting the con-duct of the camps can be gleaned, but they contain nothingthat pictures the personality of their lieutenant-colonel, ordiscloses what part he had in the foolhardy assault uponTiconderoga,which ended the dismal record of Abercrombie'sblundering.

The following year. Colonel Whetcomb was probably notin the service, but in 1760 he commanded one of the tive.Massachusetts regiments in General Amherst's army as-signed to the right wing, which, under Colonel WilliamHaviland, moved out from Crown Point, August 10, inbatteaux, for the invasion of Canada, His orderly-book forthis, the closing campaign of the long war, is preserved inthe Lancaster Library; It contains rosters of the eio-hteencompanies of his command—which numbered about eight

1890.] A Forgotten Patriot. 99

hundred men — and the general orders received betweenAugust 11 and November 9. Nearly forty deaths arenoted in the rosters, mostly chargeable, it is to be presumed,to srball-pox, and camp disorders, engendered by toil andexposure ; for no very resolute opposition from the enemywas encountered during the month spent in the advanceupon Montreal. The victory speedily won and its fruitssecure, the Provincjals, both officers and men, hoped to bedismissed and return to farms and families needing theircare ; but for two months more the grumbling, discontentedyeomen were kept delving at fortifications and winter bar-racks for the battalions of regulars that were to garrisonCrown Point. When these, were at last completed, armsand tents were turned over to the ordnance officer, andColonel Whetcomb led his men across Vermorit, then anunbroken wilderness, to the Connecticut river at Charles-town, and thence homeward through the New Hampshirewoodlands.

Ten years passed in which the Colonel's sword rusted,but his fiocks and lands increased, and his services as mag-istrate were in constant request. Suddenly, in that greenvalley which slumbers in the evening shadows of theWataquodock hills, there arose a fierce conflict concerningchurch polity, faimiliarly known as the Goss and Walleywar,'—so named from the two clergymen forced to becomerivals in the contest. It was born of the temper of thetimes, and John and Asa Whetcomb were the prime expo-nents of that temper in the eastern part of Worcestercounty. The revolt against the autocratic claims of theclergy, in which the Whetcombs were leaders, was but anepisode, a bubbling over of the boiling wrath against politi-cal tyranny. The radicals took up the Puritan cry "nobishops," because they dared not yet shout their war-cry"no king." The overturn of the humble Bolton pulpitjarred, as with an earthquake shock, all the churches roundabout it. The controversy was ostensibly concerned only

100 American Antiquarian Society. [Oct.

with the powers of ecclesiastical councils and the arrogatedright of the minister to negative the vote of the brethren ;but it is noticeable that when a too patriarchal shepherdwas pushed from his pulpit throne to make way for the in-stalment of one less insistent npon dignities, the registersshow that the tories all continued to present their babes forbaptism to the old incumbent, while the radicals all patron-ized the new one.

A young and angry clerical pamphleteer, during thcwrangle, once sneeringly referred to our colonel as " a jus-tice of a very slender capacity" ; but an able respondentdedicated his pamphlet to Whetcomb, as a well-knownchampion of civil and religious liberty, and stigmatized thesneer of his assailant as impudence, sufficiently answeredby the long service of the colonel as the town's honoredrepresentative. AVhetcomb was one of the ninety-two who,in 1768, voted not to rescind, at royal dictation, theMassachusetts Representatives' circular-letter to the ColonialAssemblies. The public estimation of his capacity andcharacter was further shown in 1773, by his election to aseat in the Council. He was, however, so distrustful of hisqualifications for the higher office, that he modestly beggedto be allowed to remain in the lower branch of thelegislature.

When the spirit of republicanism in the province of JMÍIS-

sachusetts had been, by various causes, wrought up to therash venture of rebellion against the acts of Parliament, hershrewd political managers saw the necessity of a thoroughre-organization of the militia, and promptly set about thework. Military leaders of ability, tested in actual campaign-ing, there were in abundance. The younger of the heroeswho took part in the capture of Louisburg, in 1745, werehardly past the prime of life, and colonels and captains whohad earned their titles in the conquest of Canada, were tobe found in every town. Though mostly clad in homespun,often uncourtly in manners, and far from masters in the in-

1890.] A Forgotten Patriot. 101

tricate science of tactics, these ofiacers had not forgotten themany practical lessons taught them during five years of war,—they had fresh in mind the costly blunders of the marti-nets sent from England to take command over them — theyyet smarted under the supercilious treatment they had alwaysexperienced from those holding the King's commission.The majority of them were active in the democratic fermentof the times, although two of the most conspicuous for theirmilitary attainments and gallant services in the field, Brig-adier-General Timothy Euggles and Colonel Abijah Willard,belonged to the conservative party ; the former being anavowed royalist, the latter, luke-warm, perhaps, in his alle-gi.ance, but bound by many ties to the friends of monarchy.

Brigadier-General Jedediah Preble, a member of theCouncil, who, in date of commission and soldierly reputa-tjon, ranked second only to Euggles, was selected by thesecond Provincial Congress as commander-in-chief of theMassachusetts forces, and four others, all members of thesame elective body, were chosen general officers. Theywere : Honorable Artenms Ward, Colonel Seth Pomeroy,Colonel John Thomas and Colonel William Heath, takingrank in the order named. These appointments createdsome heart-burnings, for General Ward's reputation wasehiefiy political, his rank in service never having beenhigher than lieutenant-colonel, and General Heath hadnever seen service. General Preble, who was nearlyseventy years of age, declined his commission, and on Feb-ruary 15, 1775, Colonel John Whetcomb's name was addedto the list of generals, the member of the Congress fromBolton being desired " to wait upon Hon. John Whetcomb,Esq., with a copy of his being elected a general officer, anddesire his answer whether he will accept that trust, as soonas may be." He had already been chosen their colonel bythe line officers of the Lancaster regiment of minute-men.He accepted the duties of both offices. Of the five Massa-chusetts generals thus appointed, Seth Pomeroy was the

102 American Antiquarian Society. [Oct.

oldest by seven years, but Whetcomb had earliest won therank of colonel in service, and could claim the most variedexperience in military aflairs ; while the three younger offi-

, cers much surpassed both, in the advantages which a liberaleducation gives.

The morning of the nineteenth of April, 1775, foundGeneral Whetcomb at his home, which was, by severalmiles, nearer Concord than were those of his company com-manders. When, therefore, the courier dashed up to hisdoor announcing the long-expected raid of the British sol-diers from Boston, after despatching the necessary ordersto his field-officers, he no doubt galloped towards the sceneof conflict with such escort as hastily assembled,-:-for hecame upon the bloody field arid took part in the fightingthat day, as attested by General Heath in his Memoirs.General Ward did not reach Cambridge until the nextafternoon, when a council of war was held, at whichWhetcomb was one of the three generals present. May 6,the Provincial Congress passed a resolve appointing Gen-eral Whetcomb and Colonel Benjamin Lincoln muster-mas-ters of the State's army. In declining the position, theGeneral excused himself by pleading the engrossing de-mands upon his time of "various avocations," and hisbrother was then chosen to be Colonel Lincoln's associate.

The third Provincial Congress, on June 13, electedJohn Whetcomb "first major-general of the Massachusettsarmy," Artemas Ward having been made commander-in-chief, and John Thomas lieutenant-general, the previousmonth. The next day Joseph Warren was chosen "secondmajor-general," and committees were appointed to waitupon the two officers-elect and report their response.Whetcomb, either from modesty, or, feeling the weight ofyears and increasing cares, hesitated formally to accept thecommission, \yhereupon, the Congress, on June 16, "or-dered, that Col. Richmond, Doct. Taylor and Mr. Partridgebe a committee to draw a complaisant letter to General

1890.] A Forgotten Patriot. ' 103

Whetcomb, to desire a more explicit answer respecting hisacceptance of the post of first major-general." The letterand reply were as follows :—

WATERTOWN, June 16, 1775.Sir:—Your letter wherein you express yourself willing

to continue in the service of this Colony, until the army isregulated and properly encamped, and then rely on a dis-charge was read with much concern by this Congress, whoearnestly hope you will continue in office till the conclusionof the campaign, and must beg your further and more ex-plicit answer. • • * »

To the HonU" Congress.Whereas you Desire of me to Give a more Explicit

Answer as to my Opintment, as the Surcumstances of thearmy is so Deficult and the Enemy so ner, I excep the Ser-vis to Do my Duty, as far as I shall Be Able.

JOHN WHETCOMB Col°.Cambridge, June y" 22^ 1775.

John Whetcomb was in active service at Canibridgebefore and during the battle of Bunker's Hill. Havingreceived official notice that he had been made flrst major-general,— and Lieutenant-general Thomas being in com-mand of the right wing, and General Putnam of the left, —h'e was of course next in rank to the commander-in-chief atthe centre of the patriot lines investing Boston. We accord-ingly find in a newspaper of the period this question asked :"as there was no general officer that commanded onBunker's Hill, was it not his duty to have been there?"The author of the query—who was a colonel, and on June17, near enough the battle-ground with his regiment tohave two men wounded, — was not sufficiently endowedwith the spirit of prophecy to suspect that General Putnamwas the "Commander at Bunker's Hill" ; and, moreover,ignored the fact, which Whetcomb doubtless knew, thatG^enerals Pomeroy and Warren were at the front, and could

American Antiquarian Society. [Oct.

have assumed command there. The whole testimony in thecourt-martial for trial of Colonel Scammons goes to showthat General Whetcomb was in his place, guarding, withsome forces now unknown, that important strategic posi-tion, Lechmere Point. Whether stationed there by ordersof his superior is not recorded, and is not material, since itwas wise military prevision to expect attack in that quarterand prepare for it. Indeed, the British generals were criti-cised severely at the time, and have been censured since byhigh authority, for not making their main assault there.Whetcomb, when the arena of the conflict was determined,— if we may judge from the only act of his, on that day,which has been recorded for us., — was engaged at his postof duty in ordering such bodies of troops as he found avail-able to the re-enforcement of Prescott.

The selection of general officers announced by the Conti-nental Congress in June, 1775, was made with a carelessdisregard of previous commissions or claims for servicesrendered, and caused great dissatisfaction, not only to theveteran colonels of the last war, but among the soldiers bywhom they were almost idolized. It might well be, thatWhetcomb would feel aggrieved by the omission of hisname from the list of Continental brigadiers, as did Pomeroyand Thomas by the rank assigned them in the list. Thereat once arose a clamor for revision of the appointments, sogeneral and wrathful, that Washington withheld the com-missions and notified Congress of the fiict. The ProvincialAssembly sent the following letter to Whetcomb and otherslighted officers :—

In the HOUSE OF EEPRESENTATIVES, July 22, 1775.Sir: This house approving of your services in the sta-

tion you were appointed in the army by the Congress ofthis Colony, embrace this opportunity to express their senseof them, and at the same time to desire your Continuancewith the army, if you judge you can do it without impro-priety, till the final determination of the Continental Con-

1890.] . A Forgotten Patriot. 105

gress shall be known in regard to the appointment ofGeneral officers. We assure you that the Justice of thisHouse will be engaged to make you an adequate compensa-tion for your services. We have such intelligence as affordsus confidence to suppose, that a few days will determinéwhether any such provision shall be made for you as isconsistent with your honor to accept, and shall give youencouragement to remain in the service.

. By Order of the House.

The Continental appointments superseding the Provincial,John Whetcomb had no further part in the siege of Boston.June 5, 1776, he was commissioned a brigadier-general inthe Continental army, and Washington then declared hisintention to assign him at once to the command of the forcesin Massachusetts, relieving General Ward who had tenderedhis resignation because physically disqualified for activeduty. But Whetcomb, following the example of SethPomeroy, chose not to accept the recognition of his servicesand ability which had come so late. In returning the com-mission he asked " to be excused on account of ao-e, and adiffidence of not being able to answer the expectation ofCongress." The next month he was again elected a niem-ber of the Council, in which body he served with creditduring four years, and then passed from public view to thequiet of his rural home.

In the town which his whole life honored, no traditionsare rife that tell us of his form or personal traits. His, sonsare remembered as men of ordinary stature and mould,good citizens of fair abilities. John Whetcomb obviouslyowed his great and lasting popularity to such qualities asmade Prescott, Pomeroy and Stark historic names. Hewas a republicanized Puritan, a zealous, unselfish patriot, aman of action, ignorant of rhetoric, not given to bluster.Uneducated, and not disposed to over-rate his own powers,he rose to command by native force of character. He musthave been brave in battle, and gifted with personal magnet-ism and tact, for volunteer soldiers followed him with love

106 American Antiquarian Society. [Oct.

ahd respect through campaign after campaign ;—exemplaryin life, for he was looked up to in the church, and hia enemyspoke nothing ill of him ;—impartial in judgment, for in hisday and limited sphere his name stands oftenest in the rec-ords as moderator, arbitrator and magistrate;—energeticin administration, for those high in authority sought hisaid;—judicious in legislation and council, for electors didnot tire of honoring him with their unsought suffrages.