Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-07-16
A NOV FOR FREEDOM.
An InterestIng fragment Of American
Revolutionary History.
ballard Smith in July Harper's.l

1t il curious fact that the most important
AZ well as the most dramatic incident imme-
diately proceeding the American Revolution
an incident, indeed, which directly precip-
itated hostilites-has but slight mention in
any of the histories. This was the attack
upon Fort William and Mary in Portsmouth
harbor by band Of young patriots led by
John Sullivan, afterwards Major General in
the Continental army. The assault was
made in December, IVA, four months before
the battle of Lexington, and six months be-
fore Bunker Hill II was unquestiOnably the
frat act of overt treason.
On the afternoon of December 10 Paul
Revere (the same who escaped the vigilance
Of Howe's guards four months later, and
spread the news along the road from Boston
TO Lexington of Plt,slrn's march) rode up to
Sulivan's house in Durham. One Of the
survivors of Sullivans company died only
some thirty years ago, and from his lips,
shortly before his death, was obtained the
story Of what happened that day. Revere =
horse, he said, was NEARLY done" when he
pulled up at Sullivan's door The rider had
been dispatched with all speed from Boston
the day before with messages from the Mas
sachusetts committee Of safety that 1.-The
King in council had prohibited the importa-
ton Of arms or military stores into the
Colonies" aud that two regiments we're forth
with to march from Boston TO occupy Ports.
mouth aud the fort IN its hsrbor. After
batting" his wearied beast Revere rode on
to Portsmouth.
la Sullivan's mind the hour had evidently
come for decisive action. The story OF what
followed in briefly told by Eleazer Bennett,
the survivor before mentioned: II was
working for Major Sullivan" he said, when
Micah Davis came up and told me Major
Sullivan wanted me to go to Portsmouth and
to get all the men | could get TO go with him.
The men who went, 30 far rs | can remem
Der, we're Major John Sullivan, Captain
Winborn Adamr Ebenezsr Thompson, John
Demeritt, Alph.us and Jonathan Chelsey,
John Spencer. Micah Davis Isaac aud Ben
amin Small, Of Durham Ebenezer Sullivan,
Captain Langdon, aud Thomas Pickering of
Portsmouth; James Griffin, James Under.
wood and Alexander Scammell. We took a
gondola belonging TO Benjamin Mathes, who
was too old to go. and went down the river
to Portsmouth. 1t was clear, cold, moon
light night We sailed down to the fort at
the mouth of P,scstAqua harbor. The water
was 40 shallow we could not bring boat TO
within a rod OF shore. We waded through
the water IN perfect silence, mounted the
fort, surprised the garrison, and bound the
captain. 10 the fort We found 100 cAbk3 Of
powder and 100 small arms, which we brought
down to the boat In vadiDg through the
water 1t froz4 upon us"
What a simple story OF heroism The men
took of their boots that they might not make
noise in mounting the ramparts, and after
getting back to the boat it is OF record that
they again took them od, lest spark FROM
the iron nailed soles might ignite the pow
der" Aud this was III December, in the
severe winter of Northern New England.
The "gondola' pronounced by the natives
gundolo, with accent on the first syllable -
Is an unwieldly sloop-rigged vessel still in
use in the shallow waters Of the New Eng
land coaht The "gundolo" sailed quietly
down with the tide to dock in Portsmouth
town, nine miles below. There perhaps
half dozen men were taken on board, in
GLIDING Captain LAngdon, afterwards first
President OF the United States Senate and
Governor of New Hampshire. From Gov.
eruor WentwOrth's correspondence With the
Earl OF Dartmouth it would appear that he
warned Captain Cochran, in command at the
fort, of the Intended attack but it is ira
dition in Durham that the garrison was
awakened from sleep as the party mounted
the ramparts No blood was shed on either
side. In his letter to Lord Dartmouth, Sir
John (Governor) Wentworth gives some fur
Their details. News was brought TO me, be
says, that drum was beating about the
town to collect the popuaoe together in order
| to take away the gunpowder and dismantle
| the fort. | sent the Chief Justice to them
TO warn them from engaging In such an at
tempt. He went to them, told them IL WAS
not short of rebellion, and entrta them to
desist from it, and dispense. But all TO no
purpose. They went to the island. They
forced an entrance in spite Of Captain Coch-
ran, who defended it as long as he could.
| They seized the captain, triumphantly gave
three huzz4s, and hauled down the Kings
colors." Captain Cochran made his report.
| II told them, he wrote, ION their peril not
to enter. They replied that they would
Immediately ordered three four Founders u
be fired on them, and then the small arms,
and before We could be ready to fre again
We were stormed on all quarters, and imne-
diately they secured me and my men, and
kept us prisoners about an hour and half,
during which time they broke open the pow,
der house and took all the powder away eI
cept one barrel"
The powder being loaded aboard the gun
dolo," the vessel was sailed back to Durham
on the food tide, arriving in the early morn
ing. The larger part OF the powder wal
buried under the pulpit Of the old meeting
house" in front of Major Sullivan's residenct
under the pulpit from which venerable
| Parson Adams had for years back been in
culcating lessons of patriotism. Two oil
| three mounds still exist to show where thu
foundations OF the church were laid. Ove
against the now vacant space and in little
plot ad joining Sullivsn's former residence 4
plain marble slab gives token that the re
| mains Of the ldieT-stAtesman were buried
| there.
The captured powder, AZ before intimated
played an important part in the battle o
Bunker Hill. In the Continental army gath
| cred about Boston there was q terrible lach
OF ammunition. 1T is a fact, >" says Bancroft
referring to the day before Prescott occupied
Breeds Hill, that the Americans, after col
Letting all the ammunition north Of the Dele
ware, had in their magazine, for an army en-
! gagged in a siege and preparing for q fight
no more than 275 barrels kegs 2 Of powder
with gift from Connecticut OF 1868 barrel
more" When, as the British were form
ing for q decisive charge on his hotl!
defended works, Prescott discovered that h
had barely one round of ammunition amonl
his men, and gave the order to retreat, boil
his and Stark's men would undoubtedly
have been cut to pieces or captured eXcep
for the CALLING fire with which Stark, from
behind the grass stuffed fence on Bunke
Hill met the Welsh Fusileers who wer
marching to cut of the retreat to Cambridge
1t ia of tradition and some part OF recOri
that, until within even few moments OF tn
Fusieers' charge, Stark was no better equip
ped with ammunition than was Prescott
But an ample supply of powder arrived il
the nick of time. 1t had been brought owe
from Durham sixty miles away, in old Johi
Demertts OK cart, and II was part OF tn
store that had been buried under Parsol
Adamss pulpit Failing it, Prescott nigh
on that day have shared the martyrdom o
Warren, aud Molly Stark might indeed hav
been widow that night.
Sullivan was the FIRST man in active rebel
lion against the British government, and b
drew with him the province he lived in. L
a recent address on the history OF that par
OF New Hampshire, Row. Dr.. Quint, of Dov
or, referred lefty to the attack on the fort
The daring character of the assault" b
said, "cannot be oVerestimated. It was a
organized investment OF a royal fOrtres
where the Kings flag was flying, and wher
the Kings gar ison met them with artillery
It was four months before Lexington, an
Lexington was resistance 10 attack, Will