The Portland daily press., 1897-09-09
IN 1929
sergt. John Bagley's Harbor Guards.
Events at the Close Of the Revolutionary

E.tSTf1SUnGll Ny d sSrHSebllb. SuStTu
thirteen men. CORVALLIS had surren-
dered Oct. 10, 1881, and the war was
practically over and the inhabitants were
waiting for the declaration Of peace and
the disbandment of the army. The Brit
ishsswere still at Bagaduce, now Castine,
but inactive. The winter of 1872 had
been a cold, clustering and dismal one,
ana the harbor had frozen to Hog Island,
as it did the next winter. 4he Quakers
were protesting against being taxed for
the support of the war. They were will
lngsto enjoy the blessings of freedom but
it was against their principles to assist in
the war to secure them.
What is now Portland was Ghen but the
fragment of town. No attempt had
been made to- rebuild the buildings
burned by Mowat in 1775. and the black :
ened ruins remained as reminder of
what property the British had wantonly
destroyed. The population was num-
bered by hundreds instead of thousands.
There were but few good houses, the
balance being of the poorest sort, and
altogether there were only about one hun
dred. The people were huddled together
trying to live the best they could until
the advent of peace. DR.. Deane was forty
eight years of age and had been living on
his farm at Gorham during the war, but
he moved into town in March of that
year. Parson Smith was about eighty,
and still preaching to the people. In
December he had sickness and wrote in
death was fast approaching" but he lived
until 1895. He was always predicting
some dire disaster. June 25, 1882, he
said, "No more land fighting, hope"
News came, in August, that all our
prisoners confined in England had been
liberated and sent home. The proclama-
ton from Congress for the cessation of
hostilities did not reach here, by post,
until April &c, 1888, but they had cele-
DRAFTED the event the fourth of the same
month, when Samuel Rollins was killed
by the bursting of cannon. About that
time the prices of goods fell one half.
The General Court ordered, Nov. 2,
1881, the guards at Falmouth and Cape
Elizabeth, consisting of one sergeant and
twelve mattresses, to be continued in the
the same establishment made in the Re-
solve of Feb. 20, 1881. In June 1882, it is
said that Capt. David Strouts Co. was
in the service at Cape Elizabeth. On
July 9th, the General Court provided for
one sergeant and twelve men to be
stationed at Falmouth and one corporal
and six men at Cape Elizabeth, to con-
tinue in the selv vice until dismissed by
the Governor and Council and the said
guards to be added to or diminished, and
continued SO long as the Governor, with
the advice of the Council, shall judge for
the advantage of the Commonwealth.
Nov. %, 1888, Parson Smith wrote
'sThere has been no fighting in America
this year. p"
On March 26, 1888, Richard Devens,
Commissary General, was ordered by the
General Court to procure small vessel
not exceeding thirty tons and one whale
boat, for the purpose of cruising against
Bay and on the eastern shore, and the
guards provided July 6, 1882, were or
dered to be continued.
News came here, Oct "a, 1888, of { the
signing of the treaty of peace Sept. 2,
and the war was over, Our army was
evacuated New York the twenty fifth of
the same month. The garrison at Baga-
duce was broken up in December. Eng
land had sent to America over one hun
dred and twelve thousand soldiers, over
twenty two thousand seamen and spent
nearly one hundred millions of dollars.
The London Evening Post published the
following about their commanders:
t'Gage nothing did and went to pot;
Howe lost one town, another got;
Guy nothing lost and nothing won;
Dunmore was homeward forced to run;
Clinton was beat and got garter,
And bouncing Burgoyne catch'd Tar
tar;
Thus all we gain for millions spent
Is to be laughed at, and repent"
The following is the roll of the ser
geant's guard of 1889:
"a Pay Roll of Sergt. John Bagley's
Company raised for guard for the forts
and magazines at Falmouth by the order
of the Town of Falmouth.
May to July 10th 1882
Sergt.-John Bagley.
Privates-Samuel knight, Joseph VIII
son, Abner Bagley, John Swain, Charles
Joseph Themes, Abraham Young, John
Ramsey, David Woodman, Peter Merrill.
All allowed on this roll 2 mos, IS days
service. Sergeant paid pounds per
month and privates pounds.
Massachusetts, Archives, Vol. 81, page
298.
Sergeant John Bagley belonged in Old
Falmouth and his wife was Mary Lowell,
a sister to Capt. Abner Lowell. In Sep
TENDER l775, sSergt. Bagley was one of a
committee to inspect vessels arriving or
leaving our harbor, and was also one Of a
committee of two to collect all the
musket balls in town. Hesswas one of the
incorporates of the Second Parish in 1888
and one of the first proprietors of Long
wharf.
Charles Hossack had served in Capt
Abner LoweIl's Matross Co. in l776 and
TIT, and he died October 9, 1907, aged 90
years. He was buried in the Eastern
cemetery.
Joseph Wilson, Josiah Tucker, Samuel
Knights and Peter Merrill had served in
Capt. Lowell's company.
Joseph Themes had served in Capt.
David Bradisb,s Co. in Col. Phinney's
Regiment in ITS, in Capt Lowells Co.
in Capt. Peter Warren's Co. of Col. Jona-
than Mitchell's Regiment in the Baga-
duce Expedition in 1779, and in Capt.
John Reeds Company in 1881, also in
this guard. He died May 10, 1885 and
had a son William and daughters Sarah
and Mary. He was but about fifteen
81, be, R,,s+