Revolutionary History
of
Sanbornton, NH

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This is taken from History of Sanbornton, NH vol I chapter XV From the record of a special meeting, Jan, 17, 1775, we have evidence that the Sanbornton fathers were not slow to identify themselves with the patriotic struggle just then commencing. Besides appointing a "deputy" for the Exeter meeting of the "25th inst.", chose, also, as a committe, to see that the Association of ye Congress is punctually complied with [respecting the use of tea, the organization of regiments of militia, etc.], Aaron Sanborn, Benjamin Hoit, James Cate, Thomas Lyford, Dea. Benjamin Darlin, Stephen Gale, and Josiah Emery." We now propose to arrange the officers and soldiers of Sanbornton chronologically,or nearly so, by groups or section, I., II., III., etc., as furnished at different stages, or in different departments of the service, interspersing the same with the "Association Test," and the action of the town on various occasions. The "Pay-Rolls," which we have found in the Adjutant-General's office at Concord, shall be our basis for lists of soldiers after the first; though the papers of that office are confessedly imperfect as well as confused, and hence the names of soldiers known from other sources to have been in the Revolutionary War shall be appended.
I.--1775 The first decided movement was-- "early in the season,"when "news came that the 'Regulars' were making through the country, sparing neither women or children, and that they had got up as far as Sandown. The militia, just organized as above, and commanded by 1. DANIEL SANBORN.......Captain immediately turned out, and every man in the town that had a gun, or that could obtain one, placed himself under the command of their patriotic leader, and set out about sunset to meet the invading foe. They marched nearly sixteen miles, when they learned it was a false alarm. This transaction, though unimportant in its results, is worthy of being preserved as an index of the times of which we are speaking; and it is not unikely that the alarm was given with a view to test the feelings of the people, and ascertain what reliance might be placed upon them in case an invasion should actually take place."(annuals of 1841.)
II.--1775 The thrill of patriotism occassioned by the fights at Lexington and Concord, April 19, was not experience in many of the new towns of New Hampshire as far back asSanbornton. The militia who did repair immediately towards the scene of action from a few of the towns, like Salisbury and Lebanon, were met by Stark and other soldiers from the lower and older towns comng back, who advised them to return to their homes, put in their crops, and hold themselves in readiness for a second call. The effect of the "false alarm" already referred to would naturally be to make the Sanbornton militia more wary; so that they did not "start" impulsively at the news of Lexington, as before, and soon after heard of the "return" of those who did. Meanwhile the three regiments of militia for New Hampshire were being enrolled, about a month before the reopening of hostilities at Bunker Hill; and the Sanbornton men were assigned to "Capt. Jeremiah Clough's Company in Col. Enoch Poor's Regiment," with date of entry, "May 27, 1775." The regiments of Cols. Stark and Reid had proceeded to the seat of war a little before the 17th of June; but Col. Poor's regiment was rather held in reserve, and did not form at Winter Hill till a few days after "the memorable battle of Bunker Hill," news of which 'was received here on Sunday, the day after it was fought"; whereupon the sixteen men of town, who had been enlisted as below, on the Monday following left the wild farms which they were breaking up, and some of them the very meeting-house on which they were then at work, and hastened, that same morning, to join their captain and comrades at Canterbury,and "the army at Charlestown on the third day"! They were thus too late to share in the sacrifice and glory of Bunker Hill! Only two full regiments of New Hampshire troops are recorded among the participants in that battle (Stark's and Reid's); but no lists of the "killed and wounded" from our regiment (Poore's), as from the other two, have ever been found. The names of the towns from which Capt. Clough's men enlistd are not given on his pay-roll. He is known to have been from Canterbury; and others, by the name of Clough, Chase, Foster, etc., being allowed, like himself, for "mileage, eighty miles' travel, 6/8," are presumed to have gone from the same town. The following sixteen men were all assigned "7/7" (seven shillings seven pence) for "ninety-one miles' travel," and all but the last are recognized as Sanbornton names. The distance of the seat of war from our town, by the then travelled roads, is thus designated: and the term of service, two months and ten days, for all but one, extended to Aug 5, though in some cases prolonged by re-enlistment; especially among the "six weeks' men," the fall of the same year, when thirtytwo companies--of which no rolls are now found--poured in from New Hampshire, greatly to the credit of that province, to take the place of the Connecticut troops, who had suddenly withdrawn. The wages of the first lieutenant (on the pay-roll o May 27) were 80/ (shillings) per month; of second lieutenant, 70/; corporals, 44/ each (carried out to one of them, for the two months ten day, "L5 3s 8d.); privates, 40/ each. All the sixteen, as further shown by the records, except Lieut. Sanborn and Private Riggs,gave their receipts for .00 to Timothy Walker, Jr., as received by each an, "in full for a regimental coat which was promised us by the Colony of New Hampshire"; and all the forteen who gave receipts signed their names in a fair handwriting instead of making their marks, which speaks well for the general intelligence of the Sanbornton men of that period. With these remarks, the list is now introduced, numbering also the Revolutionary soldiers of the town, in order from "1" above, the same number reappearing in backets [] whenever a given name is re-entered for reference to future service:-- 2. AARON SANBORN.........First Lieutenant. 3. THOMAS LYFORD [90].......Second Lietenant. 4. JONATHAN THOMAS [87].......Corporal. 5. NATHAN TAYOR [23]........Corporal. privates listed below 6. EBENEZER EASTMAN, 7. JACOB GARLAND, 8. DANIEL GALE [43], 9. LEVI HUNT, 10. PHILIP HUNT, 11. WILLIAM HAYES, 12. JOHN LARY, 13. JOSEPH SMITH [57], 14. WILLIAM THOMPSON, 15. WILLIAM TAYLOR, 16. JACOB TILTON, 17. STEPHEN RIGGS The last named has but "one month's" service assigned to him. He is not remembered as a Sanbornton man, but had probably been employed in town, went hence as a soldier (his mileage being the same with the rest), was transferred or left the service at the end of his month, and never returned to town. The annalist of 1841 gives a list of "seventeen men," composing as he says, "more than one third part of the population of the town at that time capable of bearing arms," who "marched from this town," as above stated. With but three or four exceptions, this list of seventeen corresponds precisely with the list of sixteen above, from Capt. Clough's pay-roll, the exceptions being that [8], [12], and [17] of the pay-roll are wanting on the list of seventee; but there are added to the latter to make it up, the four following, whose names ay also now be safely entered as Sanbornton soldiers of that period:-- 18. ISREAL TILTON, 19. ELISHA CATE [36], 20. JACOB SMITH, 21. JONATHAN LANG; though it is barely possible that this last may have been confounded with John Lary [12].
III--1776 The following document, while it gives evidence of thedistinguished patriotism of the Sabornton fathers, shows also very nearly, in connection with the Petition of 1768, who and how many were citizens of the town near the commencement of the Revolutionary War. A true copy of the "copy taken by B. M. Colby, Esq., from the Test Book [p.275], at Concord, Mary 12, 1858":-- "TO THE SELECTMEN OF SANBORNTON: "COLONY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, IN COMMITTE OF SAFETY, April 12, 1776. "In order to carry the underwritten Resolve of the Honorable Continental CONGRESS into execution, you are requisted to desire all Males above twenty-one years of age (Lunaticks, Idiots, and Negroes excepted) to sign to the DECLARATION on this paper; and when so done to make return hereof together with the name or names of all who shall refuse to sign the same, to the GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF Committee of Safety of this Colony. "M. Weare, Chairman." "In CONGRESS, March 14, 1776. Resolved, That is be recommened to the several Assemblies, Conventions, and Councils, or Committees of Safty of the UNITED COLONIES immediately to cause all Persons to be disarmed within their respective Colonies, who are notoriously disaffected to the cause of AMERICA, or who have not associated and refuse to associate to defend by arms the United Colonies against the hostile attempts of the British Rleets and Armies. "(COPY). Extract from the Minutes. "Charles Thompson, Secretary." "In consequence of the above Resolution of the Hon. Continental CONGRESS, and to shew or determination in joining our American Brethren, and in defending the Lives, Liberties, and Properties of the Inhabitants of the UNITED COLONIES, We, the subscribers, do hereby solemnly engage, and promise that we will to the utmost of our Power, at the Risque of our Lives and Fortunes, with ARMS oppose the Hostile Proceedings of the British Fleets and Armies against the United American Colonies, " The following eight-three signatures were obtained in Sanbornton, probably in the order of visitation, to which were added the date (apparently of completing the list), one day before the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia! and the supplemental remark as here given. The clergyman, Rev. Joseph Woodman, headed the original list, and Benjamin Colby's name was second. For convenience, we have transposed the surnames into an alphabetical arrangement. Those whose names also appear on the Petition of 1768 are marked with an asterisk (*). Several well-known names in town are wanting by reason of temporary absence, at the war or in other public service:-- "RICHARD BEACHAM, ELIPHALET BROWN, JOHN BRYEN [BRYER?], JACOB BAMFORD, NATHANIEL BURLEY (*), STEPHENS BURLEY, ELISHA CARTER, JONATHAN CASS, ENOCH CATE, JAMES CATES (*), JAMES CATES, JONATHAN CHASE, JOHN CLARK, JOSEPH CLARK, SATCHEL CLARK (*), CATCHEL CLARK, BENJAMI COLBY, ISAAC COLBY, JOHN COLBY, SOLOMON COPP (*), THOMAS CRICKET [CHRITCHET?], MOSES DANFORTH (*), BENJAMIN DARLING (*), WILLIAM DURGIN JUN, DAVID DUSTIN (*), ENOCH EALY, EBENEZER EASTMAN, JOSIAH EMERY, DANIEL FIFIELD (*), JOHN FOLSOM (*), JOHN FOLSOM, DANIEL GALE, JOHN GALE (*), STEPHEN GALE, JAMES GIBSON, NICHOLAS GILES, CALEB GILMAN, JOSEPH GILMAN, MOSES GILMON,EBENEZER GOVE, SAMUEL HARPER, WILLIAM HAYES JUN, JOSEPH HOIT, PHILIP HUNT (*), ANDREW JEWETT, JOHN JOHNSON, EDWARD KELLY (*), DANIEL LANE, JOHN LANE, GIDEON LEAVITT, JOSIAH MILES JUN, EBENEZER MORRISON (*), SAMUEL MORRISON, DAVID RAN, DAVID RAN, THEO. RANDLET, JOTHAM RAWLINS, MOSES RENDALL, JOHN ROBINSON, AARON SAMBORN (*), ABIJAH SANBORN, BENJAMIN SANBORN (*), DANIEL SANBORN (*), EBENEZER SANBORN, JOSIAH SANBORN (*), THOMAS SINCKLAR (*), ROBERT SMART, ELISHA SMITH, JACOB SMITH (*), JONATHAN SMITH JUN (*), TIMOTHY SMITH, ICHABOD SWAIN, CHASE TAYLOR, JONATHAN TAYLOR, CHARLES THOMAS, MOSES THOMPSON, JOHN THORN, NATHANIEL TILTON, WILLIAM TOMSON, COLE WEEKS (*), JOSEPH WOODMAN. "July 3, 1776, "Pursuant to the within request the Inhabitants of said Sanbornton [being now at home] have all, except one, Benjamin Hoit, severally subscribed their names hereunto. "To the Honbl General Court, or Committee of Safety of the Colony of New Hampshire."
IV.--1776 While the seat of war, after the battle of Bunker Hill, was continued at Boston and vicinity, New Hampshire troops were kept near Portsmouth, for the defence of our State border. Hence we have the following record of-- 22. "Capt. ABRAHAM PERKINS, of Sanbornton," as captain of the company, commanded first by Caleb Hodgdon, from Aug. 7 to Sept. 19, 1776; and from that time (Sept. 19) to Dec 7, by Capt. Perkins. This company was in Col. Pierce Long's regiment, and stationed at Newcastle. Capt. Perkin's first pay-roll is signed by him, Dec. 7, 1776, and sworn to in the House of Representatives, Jan 7, 1777. His whole time of service as captain is give,--"2 months, 18 days"; his pay, "L8 per month,--L20 16s."; travel, "80 miles, 6/8"; whole amount, "L21 2s. 8d." These items might indicate that he went from home for this special service; but as he is known to have been absent from Sanbornton at the signing of the "Test," July 3, it is more probable that he had entered the service earlier in the year, and was perhaps a subaltern in the same company prior to Sept. 19. A second pay-roll of Capt. Perkin's company appears, in continuation of the above, from Dec. 7, 1776, to Jan. 6, 1777. No other Sanbornton man appears on either list. From other sources we learn that Capt. A. Perkins's Revolutionary service commenced as "second lieutenant of thirty-first company,James Shepherd of Canterbury, captain, --'six-weeks' men,'--Dec. 2, 1775; ordered by Sullivan to Winter Hill" (near Boston); and that he was afterwards variously engaged, being at West Point withhis son [81], at the time of Arnold's treachery, 1780.
V.--1776-1780 This section is under construction.