The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-06-24
NO. 90
THE FIST BLOW FOR ANEuc An
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES fHA9-
mEMr Of REVOLUTIONARY

I US = ~ 8-HANN WI aNlAI--lAN - -
FHEEDCa1-Aii lNrEEES TING z RAG
MENr or REVOLUTIONARY
HISTORY.
It's curious fact that the most
Important as weli as the most draniAl-
lc Incident Immediately preoediBg
the American Revolulion-an Incl
dent, indeed, which directly preeipl-
lated hOstiiities-has but alightinR
mention In any Of the histories.
This was the attack npon Fort
William and Mary In Portsmouth,
HarbOr bya band o. young patFiols
Jed by John Sullivan, alteFward
maiOF-geuerai in the Continental
army. The assault was made IN De
eember, IVA, four months before the
battle OF Lexington. and six months
before Bunker Hill re was unques-
tiOnabiy the first act OF overt treason.
On the afternoon % December -,
Paul Revere 1.-THE SAME who escaped
the vigilance 81 HOWe's guards four
months later, aud spread the news
along the road from Boston % Lex
lnglOn Of Pitcairn's Intended march,
rode ND % Snliivan's house In Dur
ham. One Of the survivors OF Sulli,
vans company died only some thirty
years ago, and from his lips, shortly
before bis death, was obtained the
/ story OF what happened that day.
ReVere's horse, he said, was NEARLY
ilOHen when pulled up e Sullivan's
door. The rider had been despatched
I with all speed from Boston tiI8 day
before with messages from the Massa-
ehusetts Committee % Safety that the
liking in council had prohibited the
importation OF arms OF military stores
into the colonies, and that two regi-
ments were forthwith to march from
Boston 90 occupy Portsmouth and the
fort I'm Its harbOF. After battling"
his wearied beast, Revere rode on 70
Portsmouth.
In Sullivan's mind the hour had
evidently come for decisive action.
The story OF what followed n briefly
told by Eleazer Bennett, the survive.
before mentioned: "I was working
foe Major sullivan he said, when
Micah Davis came up and told me
Major Sullivan wanted me b 90 10
Portsmouth, and % get all the men
could to 20 with him. The men who
went, as lar as I can remember, were
Major John Sullivan, Captain Win
born Adams, EbeDezef Thompson,
John Demeritt, Alpheus and JOna-
than Chesley, John Spencer, Micah
Davis, Isaac and Benjamin Small, %
DurhaIn Ebenezer sullivan, Cap
tain LangtlOn, and Thomas Picker
Ing, Of Portsmouth John Griffin,
James UunderwOOd and Alexander
Scammell. We took e gOndOla be-
bnging % Benjamin Mathes, who
was too Old % 20, aud went down the
river TO Portsmouth. It was e clear,
cold, moonlight night. We sailed
down 10 the fort al the mouth Of Piss
catauqua HarbOr. The water was 50 |
shallow that we could not bring the
bOat % within q rod Of shore. We
Waded through the water In perfect |
silence, mounted the fort, surprised |
the garrison, and bound the captain. |
In the fort we found one hundred |
small arms, which We brought down |
TO the boat. In Wading through the /
water Il frCze upon as"
What q simple story OF herOism! |
The men took of their boots that |
they might not make q noise In /
mounting the ramparts, and after |
getting back 10 the boat it Is OF record /
that they again took them OF, "lest /
spark from the irOn-nsiled bOles 1
might ignite the powder" And /
this was ia December, IN the severe /
winter OF northern New England.
The i'gOndOia' l-prOnOunce by the /
natives gundOla, with aeoeut on the /
inst syllRble--is an unWieldy slOOp- /
rigEed vessel still Ia use Ia the shall
low waters OF the New England /
cOast. The "gundolH" sailed quietly /
down with the tide 10 dock IN Porte
mouth town, nine miles below. |
There perhaps half dozen men were
taken on board, including Captain
IanglOn, afteFWafd first President Of
the United States Senate and Cover
nor Of New Hampshire. From Gov
ernOF WentwOFth's correspondence
with the Earl OF Dartmouth 10 would
appear that he warned Captain Cpell-
ran, Ga command OF tire fort, Of the
intended attack bat Il Is q tradition
In Durham that the garrison was
awakened from sleep as the party
mounted the ramparts. No blood
was shed on either side. In his let
ter TO Lord Dartmouth, Sir John
tGOVeFnOFl Wentworth gives some
further details. News was brought
10 me-" he says, THAT Q drum was
beating about the town 10 collect the
pOpulace together 10 order % take
away the gunpOWder and dismantle
the fort. sent the Chief-Justice to
them % warn them from engaging Ia
such an attempt lie went % them,
told them it was not short % rebellion
and entreated them IN desist from 70
and dIspeFse Bot all tO no purpose.
They went 10 the Island. They fore
ed an entrance IN spite Of Captain
Cochran, who defended u a. long Is
he eOald. They secured the eaptain,
triumphantly gave three huzzas, aud
hauled down the kings colOrs
Captain Cochran made his report.
81 told them" he wrote, ION theif
peril not % enter. They replied they
would. Immediately ordered three
folF-pOnndeFs 70 be fired on them and
then the stnall-arms, and before we
could be ready 20 fire again we were
stOfmed on all quarters, and iminedi.
ately they secured me and my men,
and kept us prisoners about an hour /
and half, during which time they /
broke open the powder house, and /
took aft the powder away except one
barrel"
The powder being loaded aboard |
the "guhdola, % the vessel was sailed |
back a. Durham on tine Hood tide. ar
irving In the early morning. The
larger part Of the powder was buried
under the pulpit OF the old meeting
house" In 'front.' Of Major Sullivan's
Fasidenee-undeF the pulpit from
which venerable ParsOn Adams had
for years hack been intoxicating les-
snus Of patriotisnl Two or three
uIOundg slfli exist 10 show where the
f0undatlons % this church were laid.
Over against the now vacant spece,
and 90 . little plot adjoining Bulll-
vans former residence. q plain mar
BE slab gives token that the remains
OF the sOidier-staiesman were buried
there.
The captured powder, as before IN
tin1afed, played an important part at
the battle % Bunker aill. In the
Continental army gathered about
Busicn there was q lack Of ammuni-
ton. "It isa fEet, says Bancroft,
referring 10 the day before Prescott
Occupied Breeds Hill, that the
Americans, after collecting all the
ammunition north Of the Delaware,
had IN their magazine, for an army
engaged IN q selge and preparing Tor
4 fig6t, no more than al barrels
TkeQs?1 Of powder win q gin from
Cenneeticut Of So barrels more"
When, e. the British were forming
for 4 deeislvs charge on hts hotiy de-
fanfa1 rrnrka pnpeeott diacoVeFef