The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1867-02-26
Death OF samuci Dosi nimK, tise
Last Soidier ~ tht Nes oiutian.

DEATH OF samuel Dosi nimK, tise
Last soldier ~ the iies oiufian.
Samuel Downing the last II The noble
rmy of the Revolution. died 81 Us ior.
e., home NnhNe, Saratoga county
on Manday, Feb. l9ib, lo6G he va
born III NeWburyport. Mass. Nov So
1861 lie was therefore in the l06th
wear 81 hs ase when BE died his pre-
else ace being los years two months
and twenty enc days
He entered the army q The Royolu
ton when he WAS sixteen To 10 20
he left hi employer ~ New Hemp
shire without leave. Ca his hls ap
plication ho was refused. hut he soon
found a recruiting officer Nho took him
notwithstanding bis youth and dimlnu-
tive stature This was Just after the
surrender Of Burgoyno
He entered into the service with
great spirit and en,husiasm He may
not have understood all the great issues
involved in tho contest; bnt be served
as faii ihfully and fought as bravely a.
those who did Much Of his time was
spent in the valley of the Mohawk,
/ guarding trains and fighting Indians
and Tories But be was also with Tie
army on tie Hudson. and took part in
/ the memorable seige Of Yorktown
/ He continued in the service until The
close Of the war; and, "een
down TO old age, it was his chief dc.
/ light to discourse about Washington.
whom he had often seer aua he paop.y
when peace was doclar 4ai tla ma
tons liberties achieved
At the close Of the war, lie return d
to New Hampshire, settled upon Il rn
in Antrim, and soon alterward married
Miss Eunice George two years his ia
iiior and with whom he lived in perfect
accord, until 1853 She was the moth
en- Of thirteen children, ten Of whom
preceded her 10 the tomb He took
possession Of the farm whore he died,
/ in 1894 ii was then a trackiefs Wild
er ness. Tie FIRST sen was born in l1Sl
and the last III 1911 The lat or is tht
happy father Of thntocn children
Three Of his sons served through the
a war in the Union army, and one OF
the daughters Is, or was recently, q
teacher of freedmen at Norfolk, Va. Sc
/ that patriot blood Still rams III The ,cinS
Of tic frmily. The mother Of these
three boys was reluctant to consent to
have them al go 10 the field; but the
old patliot insisted. and, nothing 10th
they did what their grandfather desil-
ed rather Il an what their mother pre-
ferred During the war, it was bis
chief pleasure to hoar Of Union victor
les, and to keep note Of the battles IN
which the boys were engaged. He
prayed 60 live until peace come back q
/ the country and he was grattied. al-
though he wss d stppointed il another
wish, that hemight see Jelt. Dayislung
Mr.. Downing was something Of ap0i-
itician. He would always vote and al
ways voted on the side Of freedom and
Justice He gave Ills FIRST VOC fai
Wash N Oh and bis Jas. fer Lncon
and in reooan.ing his political e&pai-
cnee, he was always sure 70 say that ne
did not vote for Buchanan.
As his age would indicate, be was q
man OF an iron eonsti uion; the Ie uli
Of regular habits aud a religious life
Both himself and wife were exemplary
members Of the Methodist Church, and
his Bible was his constant companion
He was always cheerful looking ut ey
/ elything pleasantly, and suffering moth.
ng to worry or disturb him lii
grandchildren we've his latmales, anc
contributed & ca ly to the joy OF bis old
age.
Although temperate man be wai
not tectotaller He took glass o
liquor occasionally, but was never in
toxicated He had not very higl
opinion Of the quality Of the rum & The
present day, and though if what peo
pie drank was as pure as that made u
the good old times, there would be less
evil resulting from the habit. He alsc
used tobacco, and had done 80 from
his early mahood; and fen was his fl
vorate beverage We are afraid sont
of our dietarian friends viii be disap
, pointed at this revelation Of Mr. Down
J ings habits. Whiskc occasionally
and togacco and ten NJ le i.ae, an,
vet lived to 105 years! ii Il not tA,
modern theory But perhaps ii he hat
used neither lie might haze lived to
hundred and fifty
And thus Samuel Downing, the las
Of the noble men who gave us our lib
critics, has gone home What HooC
Of reflections crowd upon the mind q
this simple statcmeutl But We hay,
: neither space nor time to pursue them
As the ages roll on, thememory u thes,
sainted patriots viii become dearer 4
the world, and the recolec ion Of thci
eds Of patriotic yalor viii hasten tn
dawning Of The day whcn all men anc
all nations viii bo Free AiJaay M
JourHu
THE FouRrH or MAncH The ques
ton has often been asked why this par
ticular day was selected as the begin
ming If each Presidential term ard tn,
closing one u every Congress. i
seemsFto have been tie result of acci
dent, and not az has sometimes beer