Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-05-22
Funeral of the Last New England RevOIu-
fiRnRrY &nIGIar--

On Monday, May 7th. the funeral solemnities over
the remains of VIM. Hutchngs, of Penobscot, the
last Revolutionary soldier in New England and the
last but in the United States took place in that
town, in presence of large concourse of people of
that and the neighboring towns, including hundreds
Of the defendants of the deceased. At the time of
his death Mr.. Hutchings was one hundred and one
years siX months apd tBenty-eignt days OF age He
retained his consciousness to the ast patient, calm
ly confidently trusting in that Savior whom for sxty
eight years as professed disciple. he had endeavor-
ed to follow.
The funeral sermon on the occasion was preached
by Rev. Mr.. Plummer. of Penobscot, from the follow
ing text, selected by Mr.. Hutchings On these
mandments hang all the law and the prophets" Rev.
c. Ives. of Castine, also made biographical ad-
dress, from which we take few extracts:
OF late William Hutchings has been the only re-
preventative in New England Of the honored Revo-
lutionary band. Ills we're the only living lips that
could tell from what they personally knew of those
times which tried mems souls He alone remained
of the men who heard the whistle of the bullet on
those battle fields, And now those lips are sealed
that witness is dead
Aged l0l years. 6months IS days: he was an old man
when most of born His life goes far back into
the past When he was child the man still living
who had cCnVersed with survivors of the MayhoWer
When he was child the was living who had
heard the soldiers of Oliver Cromwell rehearse the
story OF bis battles. Nineteen such lives will take
back to the time when the form OF the Son of God
was earth.
He was in Castine when the British took possession
of the place, June II, l779. From heig hit outside
the British lines nc witnessed the e,landing Of the
American forces at Castine, July 18th Of the same
year. He was witness to the engagement that en-
sued. which he called the battle Of Bagaduce," in
which was wounded Sir John Moore. celebrated in
his life and death in the famous campaign of the
Spanish peninsula. He was fifteen years old when
he enlisted as soldier in the Revolutionary army,
How changed the country since that time Then,
thirteen feeble colonies skrted the shores of tho At
antc. Nov those colonies have become free States
increasing till they number thirty eight and spread
ing oyer the Alleghanies across the broad valley
the Rocky mountains and beyond, until they find
their limit at the Western ocean. Soon after the
outbreak of the late rebellion. 1 visited him. His
sentiments and feelings fully abreast of the age
He believed IN the Declaration of Independence; his
blood was up to the fever heat of revolutionary days
Let bless God that his life was spared to see the
question settled that the great boon secured by the
revolution has not been iOSt-thdt zoe stU hdus a
country Let us bless God that he was permitted to
live till the old hag dishonored at Sumter, was again
there rfumphantly unfurled to the breeze, floating
| all the people over this broad land.
1t was the request of MI Hutchings that the Amer
ican hag should his coffin he was borne to
his burial and be gnfurled to the breeze at his