East Saginaw courier., 1866-06-06
Funeral of the Last New England
M Revolutionary Soldier. M ~.

~ .Fi 1NcSolutfonofy si,oAdlOA' ~ Nfu
On Monday, May Z, the funeral So
lemnities over the remains of William
Hutchings, Of Penobscot, the last
Revolutionary soldier in New Eng
land, and the last but one in the United
States, took place in that town in pres
ence Of large concourse of people OF
that and the neighboring towns, in
cluding hundreds Of the descendants
of the deceased. At the time of his
death. Mr.. Hutchings was one hundred
and one years, six months and twenty
eight days of age. He retained his
consciousness to, the last !; patient
calmly, confidently trusting in that
eavioI whom for sixty-eight years, as
% professed disciple, he had endeavor-
ed to follow. hr hra
The funeral sermon on the occasion
was preached by Reverend Mr.. Plum
mer, of Penobscot, from the following
text, selected by Mr.. Hutchings son
these commandments hang all the law
and the prophets" Reverend @. A.
Ives, of Castine, also made biogra-
phical address, from which we take O
few extracts: Ai 'rdf
OF late William Hutchings has been
the only representative in New Eng
land Of the honored Revolutionary
band. His were the only living lips
that conld tell US from what they per-
sonally knew of those times which
tried mems souls. He alone remained
of the men who heard the whistle OF
the bullet on those battle-felds. And
now those lips are sealed that witness
is dead. ef t.....,.,
Aged one hundred and one years,
six months, twenty-eight days; he was
an old man when most of us were
born. His life goes far back into the
past. When he was a child the man
was still living who had conversed
with the survivors of the MayHower.
When he was child the man was
still living who had heard the soldiers
of Oliver Cromwell rehearse the story
of his battles. Nineteen such lives
will take us back to the time when
the form of the Son of God was seen
on earth
lie was in Castine when the British
took possession of that place, June IL,
1870. From hight outside of the
British lines he witnessed the landing
of the American forces at Castine,
July 28, of the same year. He was
witness to Encouragement that ensued
which he called "the battle of Baga-
duce," in which was wounded Sir John
Moore, celebrated in his life and death
in the famous campaign of the Sapnish
peninsula. He was fifteen years old
when he enlisted as a soldier in the
Revolutionary army.
How changed the country since that
time Then, thirteen feeble colonies
sSsa nss the SsraasSs sasHss 9f 9f Ag AgsAy AaHtS6 n%6er
thirty eight, and spreading over the
Alleghanies, across the broad valley
to the Rocky Mountains and beyond,
until they find their limit at the
Western Ocean. Soon after the out
break of the late rebellion visited
him. His sentiments and feelings
were fully abreast of the age. He
believed in the Declaration of Inde-
pendence; his blood was up to the
fever-hedt of revolutionary days. Let
us bless God that his life was spared
to see the question settled; that the
great boon secured by the revolution
has not been lost-that zee still hare a
country. Let us bless God that he was
permitted to live till the old flag, dis
honored at Sumpter, was again there
triumphantly unfurled to the breeze,
floating again, unchallenged, the proud
ensign of liberty to all the people over
this broad land
1t was the request of Mr.. Hutch
ings that the American flag should
cover his coffin as he was borne to his
burial, and be unGrled to the breeze
ut his grave. This was done.--BoSton
Irareiler. fs0u -f h