The Washington times., 1901-09-01
WOMEN BEHIND THE GUNS.
How Prudence Wright and Her COM
pnnions Guarded the Bridge.

1 now w uhu fhSF Soh-
pnnions Guarded the Bridge.
Few towns in Massachusetts, have 6
| richer inheritance OF Revolutionary ira
ditions than Pepperell. the home of Col
! Prescott who commanded at Bunker Hill
! The name of Prescott is by no means
! the only one worthy of the consideration
| of the historian of Peppereli and vicinity.
| In spite of his great achievements, there
| is another name which rivals his in local
regard, and that is the name of woman,
| Prudence Wright. An unpretentions lit
| tie booklet lies before us which gives the
| history of her daring deeds and those of
| the other women who with her guarded
the bridge on the eventful night in April,
| 1175. The author of this booklet is Mary
! i. p Shattuck, herself a daughter of the
Revolution and a native of the old his
toric town. The following is the sub
stance of the story as told by the author:
Edmund Bancroft rode into town late
in the forenoon of April 10, bringing word
that the British were coming, and that
the towns near Boston were arming to
meet them. Colonel Prescott mounted his
horse at once, and, leaving orders to have
the Pepperell and Hollis men meet him at
Groton, rode away. The word flew over
fiocks were forgotten.
The report OF the fight on Lexington
Green and at Concord came to town later.
The women knew that their townsmen
were now with other minutemen near Bos-
ton, and that more serious action was i'm
minent Spies We're reported as passing
between the British in Canada and those
in Boston. One direct road ran through
I I I'D nc
said to be coming with dispatches.
For the women there was all the anxiety
and dread Uncertainty. with none of the
excitement of the assembled forces nearer
Boston, but when they knew that there
was a possibility of doing something they
seized the opportunity, and, in the spirit
which animated the minutemen, acted at
once.
Word was sent from house to house in
Pepperel for the women to assemble. We
know that some from Groton also res Nond-
ed and Hollis women may have beer. rep
resented in the gathering. They de-ermin-
ed that no foe to the cause so dear to
them should pass through the town If
they could prevent. They elected Mrs
David Prudence) Wright as commander
of the company. She chose Mrs. Job Shat
tuck Of Groton as her lieutenant. This
company has been known IN town as
Mrs. David Wright's Guard
Unfortunately the muster roll Of the
guard, If one was made, was not preserv-
ed. Tradition enrolls the women OF this
immediate neighborhood, between thirty
and forty in number. We know that
their uniform was the clothing OF their
absent husbands and brothers; their ac-
coutrements the muskets left by the men,
pitchforks, and anything that could be
made to do service; their rendezvous,
Jewett's bridge over the Nashua River,
the place where a person coming from the
north would be obliged to cross unless he
forded the river.
The guard assembled at dark one
night few days after the 18th OF April.
when they heard the rumor that a mes
senger was expected to cross the town.
How long the women waited at
the bridge was not remembered by our
grandmothers In their story, but they
were evidently excited, for when two
horsemen approached from the north
they heard the women's voices before
they came in sight, and the captain s
voice above the others. One OF the horse
men recognized 1t as that of his sister,
whose fearless, determined spirit he
knew full well.
Not one farther step / ride"
One who rode with Whiting cried.
'Tis my sister Prue alas,
She would never let me pass
Save when her dead body fell.
turn back from Pepperel"
And according to one tradition, Cap
tain Prudences brother Thomas was new
er seen from that hour by his family or
townsmen.
Captain Whiting. being a military man,
was not so much impressed by the voices
of the women, and rode into the midst of
the guard before he realized the nature
of the force he had TO face. The women
surrounded him, seized his horse, and at
the command of Captain Wright, com
PEELED him to dismount and submit to
search. In his boots were found treas
enable papers The prisoner was deliv-
cred into custody at Groton, and the pa
pers were sent to the committee of safety
at Charlestown.
The reasonable papers were probably
OF little value, but the story of their cap
ture is very significant.
1t shows that England had not merely
the men to conquer, but they had the
harder task of conquering the women.
1t is a comparatively easy undertaking
to oVerturn a government, even to de-
stroy an army; but II is next to impo.
sible to conquer a people. This action of
the women at Jewetts Bridge shows that
the war of the Revolution was a peoples
war, and that nothing short OF extermi-
nation could have ended 1t in favor of
the British. An incident like this should
have a place in our school books All
statesmen should be taught its signifi-
canoe among the first lessons they learn.
II should be planted deep in the con-
sciousness of mankind.
We cannot refrain from giving che or
two more examples of Miss Shuttuck' 8
vivid style; Here is pen-picture of home
and neiShborhood life in colonial days
historically connected with the above In
cident of the capture of the bridge:
The opening months of 1775 found all
able-bodied men enrolled, under weekly
drill, and ready to respond to first call
The women were no less ready. The anx-
ious heart of the wife and mother would
fain believe that rights would be secured
without the baptism of blood but they
knew what II wound mean II fathers and
husbands left the homes and farms When
the tirla came they met the crisis with a
self-forgetfulness that matched the he
roism os the men. They fnolded the bull
let's and tied the cartridges round them
They filed the powder horns. The Sun
day coats which they themselves had
spun wove, cut. and made they gave to
the men. bade them godspeed, and faced
home duties.
There were afternoon gatherings OF
these women to assist one another or help
some bride-elect I'm tying her comforta-
blcs ana quilting her petticoats and bed
covers While their fingers wrought they
repeated the accounts OF the last market
days experience of the men; told about
their bleaching and dycing, cheese-:nak-
Ing and meat-curing; compared notes on
butter. soap, and candies; criticised some
new finery in the square pews ON the last
Sunday: told over their treatment OF chit
drens diseases, and how they carried
their patients through fever: admired
their hostess last drawn-in mat, a wed
ding present for her daughter: approved
her -doughnuts, ana drank her bareback
faa nFtF and flVs.sa a
Swapping In sympathy, they expressed
their opinion OF King George and his