The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-05-14
ANNALS on BELFAST FOR HALF A CENTURY
BY AN OLD ETTLER.
CHAPTER Nj. (1S14.)

Cast'ne and took possession Of the place
Its appearance was not unexpected there,
and the people here were on the lookout
for it. Very soon three of the vessels be-
longing to the tleet-which proved to be
fpgate and two transports-were seen
to be heading in this direction. and several
others IN the direction of the mouth of the
Penobscot; the latter, as afterwards learn
ed, III pursuit Of the United States COZ
vette, Adams, which was then up the
river for repairs, having been on shore at
Isle au Haut few days before; she was
burned by order of her commander, Capt
Morris, on the third OF the month, to pre-
vent her capture by the enemy.
The wind being light the vessels bound
for this place did not arrive until after
noon, when they came to anchor not far
southern from where the monument now
stands. Somewhat later in the day a barge
was seen to put off from the frigate and
lay its course for this shore; it landed
just northerly from the upper steamboat
wharf, rather from where that wharf now
is. The officer in command Of the barge,
bearing flag of truce requested an in
terview with the Chief Magistrate OF the
place. There was quite crowd assem-
and the compiler well remembers the
anxious interest with which he and others
saw an individual, long since deceased,
brimful Of rum and patriotism, hustled
back out of sight and hearing through fear
that the terrible British might hear his
muttered curses against 1.-The id red
coats"
The officer was conducted to IIuse's
tavern, the building now occupied by the
Mess. llowes, and introduced to Asa Ed
munds, Esq, rs the chief magistrate of
he place, he being Chairman Of the Board
If Selectmen The chief magistrate was
thercupon informed that a body of His
Majesty's forces proposed to take and hold
possession Of the place Tor few days.
peaceably il possible, if not forcibly; that
# they were permitted so to do without
molestation, the persons and property OF
the inhabitants would be respected and
that for all supplies required an adequate
compensation should be made. The reply
of the chief magistrate was in effect that
if His Majesty's troops saw tit to take
possession Of the place they would not be
molested by any Of its inhabitants-that
our means for furnishing supplies We're
limited, but that they should be furnished
to the extent Of those Misunderstanding that
''if we had received earlier notice of your
coming, we should have been prepared to
give you q different reception This
somewhat equivocal remark occasoned
no slight merriment on the quarter deck
Of the trigate when reported by the officer
to whom it was addressed
Sometime in the night preceding the brass
tield-pieces belonging to the artillery COM
pany, had been removed beyond reach of
the enemy, and during the day many OF
the towns people removed their families
and most valuable household goods; most
of them but a few miles out of the village;
some OF them as far rs Searsmont
Shortly after dusk the troops began to
disembark, and when the sun rose the
next morning the good people the place,
whose slumbers had been but slightly dis
turbed BY the military movements so quiet
themselves in possession of the rcdcoats,
to Northport and Belmont, and at the
westerly end of the bridge. The number
of troops landed was about seven hundred
General Gosselin, commanding the forces.
made his headquarters at the Mcfarland
house; the Old Westinghouse the acade-
my and the clubhouse We're used as bar
racks, and the toWn-pound standing on
the easterly side of High street, little
southerly from the academy, was convert
ed into a battery. The troops remained
here unmolested and molesting no one for
four days, when they re-embarked and
returned to Castine. No acquisitions were
made for supplies, but while they remain
ed here quite a lively retail trade was 60
ing on in the articles of milk bread but |
ter, eggs, potatoes and all kinds of gar
den vegetables. Our people who had 4
surplus of those commodities faithfully |
obeyed the Scriptural injunction, "it thine
enemy hunger feed him." and We're not |
Of the other clause which does
not appear in the common version, land |
make him pay double what the feed is
worth" Ten cents a quart for milk, fifty |
cents for brown loaf, twenty cents a |
pound for butter, seventeen cents per
dozen for eggs, and fifty cents for the |
smallest sized basket full OF potatoes or
were the ruling prices
{ The next day after the British left, the |
military, who had been gathering from
the interior and We're cncamped near
Simon Watson's tavern on Hayford's Hill,
into town they remained but
day and left very much to the relief of the
of gardens, potato patches and |
The military companies in
this place, the artillery under command |
Of Capt Alfred johnson, and the militia
under command of Capt. Nathan Swan,
were called out to reinforce the troops
up the river to resist the British
force which had gone TO capture the
Adams, and We're ordered to rendezvous
at Searsport, then Prospect. On arriving
there information was received that the |
Adams had been burned and our forces
their further services We're not !
required Of course, and they Immediately |
returned The artillery company did not |
bring back their field-pieces to the village,
but concealed them on the eastern side Of |
the river where they remained until the |
close of the war.
AS a truthful annalist it becomes the |
duty of the compiler to record the fact |
that after the British took possession Of
the eastern section Of the State, and Cas-
tine especially, the patriotism of the peo-
pie here and in the surrounding region
was not in all cases proof against the |
to furnish fat beef to the enemy
at good tat prices, OF to import goods OF
foreign manufacture without rendering
ito Caesar the things that are Caesars, |
in other words without payment Of duties. |
The hazard attending the importation by
vessels from abroad, added to the high
duties, had SO tar enhanced the market
value of foreign merchandise as to place
it beyond the pecuniary ability of most of
the people to purchase even those articles
which had come to be regarded as neces-
saries. The long stretch Of territory in
this section necessarily left unguarded by
revenue officers afforded great facilities
for smuggling, and the high prices paid
by the enemy for our products beef es-
pecially, constituted an inducement to
supply them, although at the hazard of
seizure and condemnation, which many
were not strong enough to resist
During this fall and the winter succeed
ing, especially after the Penobscot was
closed by ice, brisk contraband trade was
carried on between Castine and the west