The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-05


leave of absence for twenty Gays. IL
was here outside of Danbury, that ne had
his trial on Aug 22d. Col. Joseph C1iIy,
of New Hampshire, was the president OF
the court martial. Brewer was convicted
and oashiered Sept. 20, which TACT was
published in the General Orders OF oct.
1st
Col Brewer was the eldest son Of Jona-
than and Arabella Brewer of Framing
ham, Mass, where he was born Nov. 4,
17l6. He removed to Rutland. Mass. IN
1744, and died in 1881 before the close OF
the war.
Col. Jonathan Brewer, of Waltham, was
his brother. Col. Samuel married,
March 10, 1740 Martha Bent and had the
Martha, born 1913; Lucy, born 1915;
Nathan, born l747; John, born I749; Abi-
gail, born 1853; Samuel, born 1858, and
Elizabeth, born 1850.
Col. Brewer was adjutant general I'M
der Gen. Thomas at Roxbury in the sum-
mer of 1775, and was wounded at Bunker
Hill. He was commissioned colonel July
10, ITS, and raised regiment Of 31smen
who marched In August to reinforce the
Northern army at Lake Champla1n. 1t
was while there that he Unsupported the
colonel to raise the 18th Massachusetts
Regiment, and was commissioned Jan. /,
1777. Ras
The offence for which Col Brewer was
cashiePed could not have been criminal
one, or he would not have been granted
a leave of absence aftnr his arrest. 1t was
probably thesresult of thoughtless and
an unguarded moment, and for what ne
had done let us throw ahout his memory
the mantle of charity. Let US
',Be to his faults little blind
Be to his virtues very kind. -
4
Remember him at Bunker Hill, where
he. shed his blood, at Lake Champla1n
too, where he marched his militia regi-
ment through almost trackless woods, at
Ticonderoga, leading his men In the bat.
ties of Saltwater, Saratoga and Mon
mouth, and picture him cheering up his
men at Valley Forge, where he signed
the oath of allegiance to his country. and
it must have been serious matter that
would obliterate his name from the his
tory of the Revolution. This trouble
probably shortened his life, as he died
but three years after he was cashiered
On the retirement of Col. Brewer,
Lieut. Col. Ebepezer Sprout was appoint
ed to the command Of the regiment, Sept.
90. 1778. Then Lieut.. Col. Samuel Garlic
ton retired.
Oct II, the army celebrated the first
anniversary of the surrender OF Burgoy ne
in royal manner. They had dinner,
speeches. salutes, etc. The tWenty-nrst
the regiment marched from Danbury
toward Hartford, through Newtown,
Woodbury., Waterbury ana Pennington,
where they arrived the twenty sixth.
Nov. Is, Gen. Putnam took command
Of this army as Gen. Gates had been or
dered away eleven days before. The
twenty second, the regiment started
again on their march and arrived at West
Point, December 10, where they probably
srnhn
moved to Fort Putnam and five days after
were at Peekskill. The twentieth the
regiment marched to West Point again.
where they probably remained until Nov.
II, when they returned to Peekskill.
July 80 1880, Capt. John Williams was
in command of the regiment, and Aug. 5.
they crossed at Kings Ferry and started
on a march through Haverstraw, Green
bush, Orangetown. and arrived at
Tenrick where Capt. Silas Burbank
Joined the regiment and took command.
The army retired to Orangetown where
they arrived Sept. 90. There is very good
evidence that men of this regiment stood
guard over Major Andre and that Capt.
James Means, of Stropdwater. had charge
of the guard at one time. Andre was ex-
pected Oct. 2, and Henry Sewal of this
division, wrote in his journal that she
submitted to his fate with astonishing
calmness and heroic fortitude."
Oct 7, the army marched to POtowa,
arriving two days later. Capt. Burbank
resigned the fourteenth, but his record
says he served until jan. l, 1881, when
the regiment went ont of existence as an
organization in the army. Those soldiers
who had unexpired terms of service were
transferred to the I'd Massachusetts Regi-
ment, and Lieut.. Col. Sprout was placed
in command of that regiment.
Ebenezer Sprout was the son of Col.
Ebenezer Sprout of Middleboro. Mass.
and was born Feb. 9, 1859. He was an
uncommonly tall and portly man. His
height WAS feet inches and the In
dams called him the big Buckeye"
Col. Sprout entered the army as cap
tain and became major under Colonies
Cotton and Learned, and in Col. Ebenezer
Francis's Militia Regiment, in 1776, in
which were two Maine companies. He
was lieutenant colonel of Col. Shepard's
4th Massachusetts Regiment. Jan. ],
1777, and was transferred to the 18th Mas
sachusetts Regiment Sept 20, ITS. Jan.
1, 1881, he assumed command of the Cd
Massachusetts Regiment, made brevet
colonel, Sept. 80, 1888, and served until
Nov 8, when the army was disbanded.
He was an original member of the Socie-
ty of the. Cincinnati. Sprout was in Gen.
Giover's brigade at Trenton, Princeton,
Monmouth, and at the battle of Quaker
Hill, in Rhode Island.
Col. Sprout married after the war Cath
crime Whipple, daughter of Commodore
Whipple Of Providence, r. T., and joined
the Ohio Company in 1857. They began
the settlement of Marietta Ohio, where
he died in Feb. 1906. leaving descendants.
A full dress uniform of the soldiers of
this regiment was a blue cloth coat.
probably with white faoings, white waist
cost and breaches and cooked hat, but
the poor soldiersSthought themselves lucky
to get pair of leather breeches, hob
nailed shoes, Il homespun coat with
leather cap or hat. To my knowledge,
there were no NewEngland infantry regi-
ments ever uniformed in the buff and
blue. The general officers wore those
colors. The artillery were uniformed in
blue and red, the same colors as are now
worn.
ITO be continued.)