The Portland daily press., 1895-06-08
CAPT. WILLIAM HARRIS COMPANY.
1t Was Recruited in New Gloucester
New Boston Windham.
Failure of the Bagaduce Expedition and
Great Depression in Consequence.

Failure of the Bagaduce Expedition and
Great Depression in Consequence.
In t he latter part Of August, 1878, soon
after the disastrous Bagaduce Expedition,
the people of Falmouth became greatly
alarmed because of an expected attack
from the British fleet at Bagaduce (now
Castine), and the town was garrisoned
by Col. Jonathan Mitchell's Regimen
just returned from Bagaduce, and Col.
Henry Jackson Boston Continental
Regiment. Col. jackson IS regiment had
seen service in New Jersey and Rhode
Island, and had taken an honorable part
in two or three battles against the Brit
ish. They were at Providence, and had
been ordered to reinforce our army at
Bagaduce, but when they got as far as
the Isle of Shoals, heard of the failure
of the expedition, landed at Kittery and
encamped. They were then ordered to
proceed at once for Falmouth, and ar
rived here August 9th, and were re-
ceiyed with much rejoicing. This regi-
ment numbered about four hundred men,
were well uniformed and equipped, and
were probably the only full uniformed
regiment the people of Falmouth saw
during the war. They encamped on the
front side of Munjoy Hill just above the
Eastern Cemetery and remained eleven
days, when they marched to Boston and
were quartered in Castle William.
The General Court passed an order
1rrQ 10 coll Of
this county to take the places Of Col.
Mitchell's and Col Jackson's regiments
The number of militia called out num-
bered about three hundred, and as late as
Oct. II, 1871 the General Court ordered
that they were to be paid the same wages
as those called out under Gen. Wadsworth
in 1880.
Capt william Harris's company of
militia were from New Gloucester, New
Boston, Windham and that vicinity, and
entered the service at Falmouth Sept.
9th, 1879, and were probably discharged
Oct. 49, 1779 as the pay roll was made
to that date.
While the militia were here probably a
sea coast company was garrisoning Fort
Hancock, as Jan. Goth, 1T9, a company
of forty men was ordered to be stationed
at Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth until
the last of December, 1879, the roll of
which we are in hopes to find.
The Bagaduce Expedition disaster was
most discouraging to the people here, as
they had started off with such high hopes
of success, and returned a detected lot of
men, but the bountiful crops of the year
1779 revived their dropping spirits and
enabled them to get through the winter
with less suffering than was anticipated.
Capt. William Harris lived at New
Gloucester and was prominent man
there. He was an innkeeper 1770-1774,
and was a delegate to the Cumberland
county convention Sept. a. 1774, at Fal-
mouth was chosen March 21. 1775, to
join county convention if called, and
was captain of the South company of the
town in Oct. 1774 He was committee
to provide a store of provisions and am
munition for the towns use, according
to the recommendations of the County
Congress; Committee of Safety in 1775,
1916 and 1882, and Nov. %, 1879, was ap-
pointed to set the prices of articles of
trade in town.
He was commissioned captain in the
4th Cumberland County Regiment, End
Company, in Sept. 177, and served as
captain of the following company in 1779
He died at New Gloucester April 10,
1924, aged 90 years.
The original roll gave no residences of
the men of this company, but we have
supplied few that we were familiar
with, and there is no doubt of what
part of this county they came from.
s'Pay Roll of Detachment of Men from
Col (Timothy) Pixies Regiment of
Militia In the County of Cumberland
For the Defence of the Town of Falmouth
in sd County agreeable to an Order of
Court Passed the Bird Sept, 1879, Under
the Command of Capt William Harris
and Under the Direction of the Commit
tee of Said Falm outh, Commencing the
9th Sept. and Ending the 23d of October
1779'
Service