The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-10
CAPT. LANE AND HIS COMPANY.
Maine Soldiers who Served Mt Cape Ann in
1915 and 1776.

At the breaking out of the Revolution
airy war, Capt. John Lane of Buxton was
authorized to raise company to enter
the service of the colonies The men
came FROM York and Cumberland coun-
ties and on the Penobscot river. He
marched them to Gloucester, Mass, in
} August, to guard the seacoast of Cape
Ann DR.. -Deane, in his diary, under
date of August 18th says, "About twenty
enlisted soldiers, part of Lanes COM
pany, at meeting" The first lieutenant
of the company was Daniel Lane and the
second lieutenant Jabez Lane, both
brothers to the captain, an they both be-
came captains themselves later in the
war.
Capt. Lane was a member of distin-
guished military family of our state who
have done good service, in defence of their
country, in several wars. He was true
patriot, trusted friend of tho Indians
and had such influence with them that
their aid was secured during the long
war of the.Revolution. This was an i'm
portant service to the Colonists as those
Indians could have made much trouble
for our forefathers.
In the early years of the war but little
attempt was made to have regulation
uniform for the army The struggle was
to get clothes enough OF any color and
style to keep the soldiers comfortable
Massachusetts distributed coats to its
soldiers, in October, 1775, of uniform color
and make, and the Goat Rolls of that
date are the accounts of to whom they
were delivered. In 1776. Gen. Knox said
GAS the army now stands, it is only a
| receptacle for ragmuffins." In December
1776, the citizens of Philadelphia were
appealed to for their cast off clothing for
the army. When the army marched
through Philadelphia, in August, 1777,
they were SO shabby, in contrast to the
well uniformed British soldiers that those
poor fellows, having nothing else of uni
formity stuck sprigs of green in their
hats that they might have something
alike. They were proud of their cause
but sensitive as to their appearance. 1t
is something to an American to know
| that he is descendant of one of those
ragged soldiers. He feels that he has a
born right to enjoy the country. and is
conscious that his own flesh and blood
was at the beginning
| The army was not uniformed completely
army at Boston, July %, 1775 for the
officers to wear the following marks SO
that their rank could be distinguished:
Field officers-Red or pink cockades on
their hats.
Captains or buff on their hats.
Subalterns-Green on their hats.
Sergeants-Stripes of red cloth sewed
on the right shoulder.
Corporals-Stripes of green On the right
shoulder.
Capt. John Lane was the son of Capt.
John and Mary (Nowel) Lane of York
and St. George, and grandson of Capt
John and Johannah Davidson) Lane of
Winter Harbor, 1717. His grandfather
was born in Limerick, Ireland. He was
, born at York, Me-, July 4, 1884, and had
three wives. He married, first, Elizabeth
! Hancock, second. Mrs. Hannah (Boyn-
, tom Haseltine, and third, Hannah Bean
J of Exeter, N. Fl. He is said to have had
twenty-five children. In the Buxton his
tory, "Narraganset No. l." pages 26l-2,
is given his family record but it names
but nineteen children, which would seem
almost enough. His father was born at
Hampton, N. H, March 1, 1902, and lived
at St. George, now Waldoboro, Me-, I'M
til the Indian war broke out and was out
after the ST. John Indians in the winter
OF 1744-5, then raised company and went
to Louisburg under Sir William Pepper
! rell and was the first man wounded in
the siege. He returned to Boston In Sep
J TENDER, 1745 and was sick there until the
! next April. In 1856, his father led a
company to Crown Point in Col. Joseph
Dwight's Regiment where he died July
l4,E1756, aged 81 years. He had other ser
vice, at Fort Halifax and other parts of
: our state, suffered much from disease con-
tracted in the army, and had his house
burned by the Indians. He was voted
money several times by the General court
to relieve him in his Distress In con-
sideration of his services to his country.
Capt. Lane, the third, was lieutenant
at twenty with his father in Col. Wins
lows Regiment and was serving in that
capacity when his father died at Crown
!; Point, in 1856, when he took command of
} the company. He was an early settler of
Buxton and was commissioned, early in
ITS, to treat with the Penobscot Indians.
He took Orono and three other Chiefs to
| Cambridge, in June, to the Provincial
Congress, and the result was their friend
ship was secured to our cause. He had
secured the confidence of the Indians by
dealing honestly with them and it was
compliment to him when they request
ed that he might "be appointed truck
} master with full power to redress any in
suits we may receive from the viii tie peo-
pie when we come in to trade"
Capt. John Lanes services in the army
of the Revolution were that he served at
Cape Ann in Col. Joseph Fosters Regi-
ment until about February 10, 1776, when
he went to Boston and took part in the
siege where he probably joined the 9Th
Continental Regiment which was from
the state of Rhode Island. The officers
0 f this regiment were:
Col. James NJ Varnum.
Lieut.. Col Archibald Crazy.
Major Christopher Smith
Chaplain Ebenezer David.
Surgeon Joseph Joslyn.
Surgeons Mate David Brown.
| Adit John Singer Dexter.