The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-08

| were won over and induced to murder and plunder the settlers The colon ist forces to withstand these attacks were the regiments sent over from ! England, You have read in your his i tories of Braddock's Defeat of Wash ington's service there, and of the gem eral ill-luck We had.
 The French were constantly gaining ground and were swallowing up terri tory to which they had no right The expected regiments not arriving from ! England and the situation daily grow ing worse, the New England states with New York resolved to act for themselves and build a fort at Crown Point, on the western shore of Lake Champlain. Five thousand men were to be sent there-New Hampshire six hundred, Rhode Island four hundred, New York eight hundred, Massachu- setts, twenty-five hundred and Connec- ticut one thousand. This was in March, 1755.
 The wages of a private soldier In this expedition was six shillings and eight pence per week (sl62 l-2) and rations eff any). cannot discover that these volunteers (among which were our North Haven men as you will present. ly see) had any distinctive uniform. It may be that what they wore in the old militia companies was used, but doubt 1t. A bounty of seven dollars and half was promised at enlistment, Any one who provided musket, belt and cartridge box, or a sword or a hatchet was allowed s4.00 and if he car ried a blanket. s3.J0 He was further to have one months pay before he marched.
 The one thousand men were divided into two regiments (500 men of six companies eacm. Veterans of the Civil war will note this was in accordance with English tactics. The men from the lower part of the state (New Ha- ven and vicinity) were in the Second regiment, commanded by Col. Goodrich. Ieaac Foot of North Branford was ma jor. A proclamation was issued;
 Whereas. a considerable body of
 troops are raised and raising by his majesty's orders and by this colony in conJunction with the nelghboring gov ernments and are gone and are going forth for the defence of his maJesty's just rights and dominions. and for re-
 moving incroachments made by the French in various parts of North America, together with the threatening 2 appearance of war which calls for our humble address to Almighty God by fasting and prayer to supplicate his protection and blessing and to avert all impending evils, etc"
 At the raising of this force an act was passed by the legislature forbid ding the arrest of any volunteer in
 the service except for debt before en- listment or for criminal action. The
 frequency of arrests l50 years ago. even in our parish Is astonishing There was apparently no getting together to , settle even the smallest difference, nelghbor sued neighbor on all sides and when this was not going on the church was marrying some poor sinner. There
 was q justice of the peace in each
 quarter of our town, sitting fin shirt sleeved robes. and working up to the
 limit.
 It is impossible with our present day ltraining, resources and environment to , completely get in touch with the life our fathers lived. Existence among the common people in outlying parishes was almost savagery, not barbarian: but savagery, the savagery of re- venge, the savagery of oppression, say agery to wiring the last penny from an
 unfortunate man, savagery to squeeze
 the last tear from an unwise woman,
 The grim old Purltans, Samuel Bas- sett in the Fifth district and Samuel Sackett in the Second district sat like |, graven images behind the laws of the colony and like graven images were unlmpressible by either circumstance or condition.
 The call for 1000 volunteers from Connecticut in l755 was responded to ] by the North Haven men. They went in the Second regiment commanded by Col. Goodrich, two In Capt. Foot's com pany with the Branford men and seven in Capt. Peck's company with the New
 Haven men. These are their names: Third company-Josep Ives. Reuben [ Bachelor
 Seventh company-Beniamin Todd , Ebenezer Humaston, David Thorpe
 stephen Cooper, IT,, Obed Bradley , Jude Blakeslee, Isaac Crockett.
 Some of these men went In April and some in September Their rendez- vous was Crown Point on the shore oi Lake Champlain There are indications , that the marching of these provincial
 forces was almost a go-as-you- please event Some from other towns never re-
 ported at their destination at all. If a
 day--iook out for himself-and Supply , his own provision with the greatest , possible expedition" he could have 7 about twenty-six cents added to his daily pay. If he was delayed on his , way by order of his officers or by dis. , ability he could be "bllleted" on any t farm house or tavern and its owner e would receive one dollar per week for : his board from the state. These and 2 other provisions and regulations lead
 us to think ther was some lack of sys- Y tenn In getting forces to the war , Our men did not march away with |, drums beating--colors nying-arm' shining, as in the Civil war. Here ant q there a man said goodbye to his wife i and children perhaps at morning may be at noon or at nlght-met neighbo , or two and quietly turned their feel , towards Canada. Sometimes they met , in Hartford, Springfield or Albany ant |, marched In a larger body. When theil I term of service was over (generally I or 6 months) they came back In tho same way, unnoticed, unwelcomed, un. f honored.
 Loyalty to their king was a mattel