Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1840-01-30
BENyAMlN CowELL, ESQ.

BENJAMiS CowELL, ESQ.
Dear Sir: You having reque sled ma
to state what is within my knowledge
relating to the Regiment commended by
Col. Christopher Lippiit, IN the year
l776, with view TO the right which tho
lew survivors have 10 claim the aid oil
the Government for support, during the
short period which may yet remain to
men SO far advanced in life, will en-
deayor, as lar as am able, 10 comply
with your request.
Early IN the month Of January, l776,
the General Assembly Of the then colony
of Rhode Island, resolved to raise a Re
giment, in addition 10 those already III
service, 10 serve for the term OF one yenr
from the eighte nth day ol that mnnlh.
Col. Henry Babcock was appointed
TO command the Regiment, which was
10 consist or be composed Of twelve com
panes Two or three months after the
men were enlisted, Col Babcock quit
the service, and Lieut.. Col. Lippit was
promoted to the command. The men
were soon enlisted, and quartered in
Newport. enlisted in the 7th compa-
ny commanded by Capt. David Dexter
| was then eighteen years and three
months old. The following is copy Of
the enlistment which we signed l have
Just copied it from the State records /;
"I, the subscriber, hereby solemnly
engage and enlist myself as soldier IN
the pay o the colony Of Rhode Island,
for the preservation OF the Liberties OF
America, and the defence of the United
Colonies in general, and this colony IN
particular, from the day of my enlistment
for one year, unless the service shall ad-
mi. of discharge sooner, which shall
be at the discretion of The General As
sembly. And hereby promise to sub.
nit to all orders and regulations OF the
army, and faithfully to observe and obey
such orders az shall receive from time
To time from my superior officers.
The officers Of the Regiment were at
first commissioned by the Governor Of
the colony they some time after recc'-
we'd commissions from the President ot
Congress, and have understood that
the decision Of the War Office, which
excluded any Of this Regiment from the
pension list, was predicated on the CIR
cumstance Of the officers having, during
part of the term, been commissioned by
the State. Whatever validity there may
have been in tins, il could only operate
IN the case Of commissioned officer,
for all the nome commissioned and prlvaies
were marched out Of the State, and JOIN
ed the army under General Washington,
L. L.. A., ,NT ~, los nf
enlistment, which they subscribed on
entering The Regiment and we, from
the day of our enlistment, had always
supposed that we were liable 10 be
ordered to join the main army, at any
moment when the general good oi the
whole, or the exigcncy Of the case might
render it necessary or expcdIent and
this was sufficiently tested after The dis
ustrous action on Long Island, when We
were ordered TO embark from Rhode
Island, and Join General Washington at
New York, as we knew from the tenor
of the enlistment, we were engaged for
the service of the UHited Colonies, or
States.
The Regiment served one complete
year, under the enlistment, and engaged
voluntarily for another month, under the
following circumstances.
On the Bis, day of December, I776,
the remnants of all the divisions, brig.
udes or regiments, which had composed
the army of the United States at tho
opening Of the campaign, together with
company OF volunteers, from Phuadei-
pha, we've assembled at place called
Crosswicks, IN Jersey the term oi SER
vice OF all the Continental troops, except
ours, (Lippitl's regimcnt,) expired on
that evening We, our regiment oply,
were held for eighteen days more, our
year having CONNIE need on the l3ih of
January, l776. The brigade 10 when
we were attached, was composed ol h,e
regiments, three Of which (NarDum's,
ilhchcock's and Lipplti's,) were from
Rhode Island and the other two Mn
on's and Liulc's, were from Massachu-
sets. Col. DANIEL Hitchcock, the old
est Colonel present, commanded this
brigade Of The number OF men, Lippits
counted more than one third. THIS was
the time which tried both body end soul.
We had by order of the General, leh
our tent. at Bristol, on the other sido OF
the Delaware. We were standing on
frozen ground, which was covered with
snow. The hope of the Commander IN
Chief, wos sustained by the character
ol these half frozen, half starved men,
that he could persuade them TO volunteer
for another month lie made the at
tempt, and it succeeded. lie directed
or requested General MiffIin TO address
or baranguo our brigade 80 he dad u well,
although he made some proWises, per-
bsps. w,thou, the advice Of Gen wash
ipg,on, which were never loihiied. He