The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-10-07

he signed the oath of allegiance to his
| country there. The oath that he signed
then is among the precious relics of the
beginning of our country in possession of
the government at Washington, and is as
carefully cared for as the gold in the
vaults of the Treasury. They left Valley
Forge in June, fought the battle of Mon
mouth, June 10, where the army suffered
terribly from the heat Of the day, marched
to Danbury, Conn.,, to guard the stores
in August, returned to the Hudson river
in December. and probably witnessed the
execution of Andre in Oct, 1880. Jan. /,
1881, the 18th Mass, Regt. was consoli-
were known as the latter
Capt. James Means was one of the
original members of the Society of the
Cincinnati, formed at the close of the
war, when each member deposited one
months wages towards fund which
still exists. His living representative in
that honorable society is James Means
certificate of membership signed by
George Washington and Henry Knox
The only other member of that society in
Portland is Charles Edwards, who repre-
sents his grandfather, Thomas Edwards,
who was Judge Advocate General of the
Army. William H. Smith. of Raymond,
represents his grandfather, Capt John K.
6lllpu IL ID bftlu tilab Wu6u \J6Q. Lid
fayetts was here, in 1926, that on his way
back he called on Capt. Means to pay his
compliments to an officer of the Revolu-
ton, which seemed to have been his Gus.
tom. everywhere.
Among Capt. Means's papers were
found two original muster rolls brought
nome by him from the army. One is
dated at Fiskhill, N. Y. July 80, 1880,
when he was In the 18th Mass. Regt. :,
ny Col GnnJt who had \
Col. Brewer, and then they were in Gen.
John Nixon's Brigade. The other is
dated at West Point, N. Y, Dec z, 1881,
when they were in the End Mass Regt.
under the same officer, but then were in
Gen. John Pattersons Brigade. Those
rolls contain the autographs of those
generals written at the front. The other
commissioned officers of the companies
| were Lieut.. John Whitney and Ensign
Joshua Danforth.
During the later years of the war the
question of locality did not enter into the
formation of the companies and regi-
ments AS the men left the service. at
the expiration of their terms of enlist
lnents, those remaining were consoli-
dated into companies, and they into regi-
| ments in the same manner. No places of
residence are given on the following mus
ter rolls. and the companies were proba-
| bly, composed of men from many towns
| in the Commonwealth. This shows the
difficulty of ever obtaining anything like
complete list of the soldiers of the Rev
olution, who went from the Province of
Maine. The colonel in command at the
time these rolls were made was Ebenezer
Sprout, and q short sketch Of the officers
may be of some interest.
| Lieut.. John Whitney was born in Ian
caster, Mass, Feb. "a, 1850; married in
1854 Orpah Danforth of Connecticut and
| had eight children. He was a minute
man at Concord April 10, 1775s and
marched side by SIDE with his father and
| his brother Timothy, who became q cap
tain in the army. He served in the ranks
OF a Massachusetts regiment to Jan. 1777,
ana became quartermaster of the 18th
Mass. Regt. Aug. 10, 1777; made lteuten-
ant July 5, 1779, transferred to the I'd
Mass. Regt. Jan. L. 1871, and served to
Nov. 1888.
Lieut.. Whiting was lieutenant colonel
IN the United States Army, July 8, 1903,
Acting Adjt. and Inspector of the Army
July II, to Aug. II, 1909, and Colonel OF
the 9Th Infantry, Dec. 81, 1909. He died at
Washington, D. c., Sept. 3, 1910, aged
50 years.
Ensign Joshua Danforth was born at
Weston, now Warren, Mass, Nov. 26,
1859, and married in 1886 Salome Noble.
Ensign Danforth was corporal May
Is, l775, sergeant Jan. 1, 1878, ensign
Nov. 26, 1779, lieutenant July 2S, 1850,
transferred to the End Mass Regt., Jan.
1, 1871, and served to June g. 1888. lie
served in the war of 1912 as captain. he
was at the siege of Boston, battle Of Ben