The Incorporation of the Town of Mount Washington
& its Soldiers of the
Revolutionary War
by Michele
(Patterson) Valenzano February 2007
In 1771 Thomas Hutchinson became Governor of
Massachusetts and was extremely loyal to the British Crown. It was the actions
of Governor Hutchinson that prompted the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773
organized by Samuel Adams. In January 1774 the residents of Taghkanic Mountain in Berkshire County
appealed to Governor Hutchinson a petition for incorporation. In May 1774 a
month before the petition reached the House in Boston, civilian Governor Hutchinson was
replaced by martial law Governor Thomas Gage. Governor Gage was entrusted by
the British to enforce the Boston Post Act that outlawed the use of the Boston Harbor
until restitution had been paid for losses incurred in response to the Boston
Tea Party. The petition for incorporation was passed in the House to be
engrossed on June 15th and the Council concurred on the 17th
however the sudden dissolution of the Assembly on that day prevented its
enactment.
In
Great Barrington on August 16, 1774 more than a thousand Berkshire
men armed with pitchforks and muskets gathered at the courthouse and refused
the British tribunal entry, hence to sit in session. A plea was shouted by the
High Sheriff of Berkshire County that the judges be allowed in. The mob stood
their ground, chased the bewigged royal judges from the courthouse and
“escorted” them out of town. (Illustration #25,
Chase from Great Barrington, Berkshire The First Three Hundred Years 1676-1976,
1976, The Eagle Publishing Co., Pittsfield, MA)
On April 14, 1775 Massachusetts Governor
Gage was secretly ordered by the British to enforce the Coercive Acts and
suppress open rebellion among the colonists by using all necessary force. Four
days later on the 18th of April General Gage ordered 700 British soldiers to Concord to destroy the
colonists’ weapons depot. That evening a lantern was lit in the steeple of the North Church
in Boston to
signal to Paul Revere that the British were coming. The following day April 19,
1775, now famous for the “Shot heard
around the world” marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War. (Paul Revere’s Ride, engraving, 1882, A Pictorial History of the
World’s Greatest Nations, Charlotte M Young, Selmar
Hess, NY)
The
news of the April 19th alarm reached Great Barrington the next day
hence Taughkanic
Mountain. On April 21,
1775 Samuel Dibble and Abner Woodin of “Tauconnuck”
Mountain enlisted in Capt. John Holmes’ company, Colonel John Fellows’ regiment
of Minutemen in response to the alarm of 19th. Two days later on
April 23, 1775 the Provincial Congress in Massachusetts
ordered 13,600 American soldiers to be mobilized in which Colonial volunteers
from all over New England assembled and headed for Boston. On May 5, 1775 Abner Woodin was
discharged after 17 days of service.
May
10, 1775 American forces led by Benedict Arnold and Sheffield resident Ethan
Allen captured Fort
Ticonderoga in NY
containing a badly needed supply of military equipment. The same day the Second
Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia
and on the 15th of May the Colonies were placed in a state of
defense. Samuel Dibble returned
to the mountain after Abner Woodin serving
1 month and four days and was discharged May 22, 1775. On June 15th
General George Washington was given the position of Commander and Chief.
During the winter of 1775-1776 General
Henry Knox in charge of the movement of heavy artillery from Fort Ticonderoga
to Cambridge, sledded by oxen 78 cannons on what is now
known as the Knox Trail which follows through modern Route 23 east out of Great
Barrington. Later a captured Gen John Burgoyne, his soldiers and the Hessian mercenaries
were paraded over this same trail. (Illustration #34, The Knox Trail,, Berkshire The First
Three Hundred Years 1676-1976, 1976, The Eagle Publishing Co., Pittsfield, MA)
On
March 26, 1776 in Great Barrington a list of officers was chosen by several
companies of the 1st Berkshire County Regiment of Massachusetts militia and was returned by
Mark Hopkins and “others.” Six weeks
later on May 2, 1776 King Louis XVI of France committed to one million
dollars in arms and munitions to the colonists. It was ordered in Council May
6, 1776 in Great Barrington that the said officers of March 26, 1776 be
commissioned and were reported as such on the same day. On May 10, 1776 the
Continental Congress authorized each of the 13 colonies to form local (provincial)
Governments.
June
7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from Virginia
presented a formal resolution calling for America
to declare it’s independence from Britain in which Congress decided
to postpone its decision until July. On the 11th of June Congress
appointed a committee to draft a declaration of independence. On June 28th
Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence written in just one day was
ready and presented to Congress. On July 2nd twelve of the thirteen
colonial Delegates (with the exception of New York) voted in support of Lee’s
resolution for independence. On July 4, 1776 the Congress endorsed Jefferson’s Declaration with copies sent to all of the
colonies.
In
the beginning of June 1776 the British sailed up the Hudson
River blasting guns and on the 12th of July another 150
more ships arrived. At the request of the British, General George Washington
met with representatives of General Howe in New York. General Washington listened to
their vague offers of clemency for the American rebels which he politely
declined.
Captain John King of Taughkanic
Mountain, commissioned in
May 1776, entered into service July 15, 1776 and marched by orders of Brig.
Gen. Fellows under Col. Mark Hopkins. Capt. John King was
joined by his neighbor Samuel Dibble who a year earlier
served in response to the first alarm of the War in April 1775. Other men of Taughkanic
Mountain who served under
Capt. John King were Charles Patterson and
his brother-in-law Elnathan
Hall Jr., Judah Gains, Amos Woodin, Allen Sage Jr. and
his brother Selah Sage. The men were discharged from service
between July 27th and Aug 4th of 1776 and returned to the
mountain. (Photo
2006, Michele Valenzano, New Windsor Cantonment Re-Enactors, Gen George
Washington’s last encampment)
In
August of 1776 the residents of Taughkanic Mountain
again petitioned for incorporation. The petition bore new and repeat signatures
of the previous 1774 petition. The signatures included John
King, brothers John, Samuel and Daniel Dibell and
their widowed brother-in-law Nathan Benjamin, William Cogswell, Abner Woodin, Amos Woodin, John Woodin and Peter Woodin,
Jesse Mead, William Palmer, John Wright and his son John Wright Jr.,
Solomon How, Joseph Robinson, Stephen Bangs, Moses Buck, Abraham Grimes,
his son Christopher Grimes, Allen Sage Sr,
his sons Allen Sage Jr and
Sebah Sage and
son-in-law Asa Sparks, Charles
Patterson and his brother-in-law Elnathan
Hall Jr., William Campbell, Thomas Jones, Daniel Porter, Daniel or Samuel Whitmarsh, Daniel Mead, Gilbert Murray, Thomas Cade, Jacob Hatt, Samuel
Nickerson, Philip Race Sr,,
his son Philip Race Jr., Ephraim Race, John Race, Abijah Woodard, John Race and Charles
Owens. On August 29th the petition was referred to
a committee of the house, reported and read but no further action was taken.
In
October of 1776 British forces from Canada
advanced against the Americans at Fort
Ticonderoga. When the
British arrived they were impressed with the state of readiness of the
Colonists. With winter approaching there was not enough time to mount a major
and timely offensive hence the British retreated back to Canada. During
the winter of 1776/77 the British under General John Burgoyne planned an attack
on Fort Ticonderoga,
taking Albany and splitting off New England from the other states, with the belief it
would be a quick end to the war. The Americans spent the winter and spring
hastily preparing themselves even further for their arrival.
On
December 16, 1776 John Dibble Jr was
appointed First Lieutenant in Capt Ephraim Fitch’s 4th company, Col.
Benjamin Simonds’ detachment of Berkshire
County militia to reinforce the
Continental Army in Ticonderoga. First Lieut. John
Dibble Jr marched in January 1777 joined by his
neighbors Hezekiah King, Epenetus Owen,
Allen Sage Jr., his brother Daniel Sage and brother-in-law Asa Sparks. The men were present
for a muster roll dated Camp at Ticonderoga on
February 25, 1777 and their enlistment expired March 15, 1777. First Lieut. John
Dibble Jr however did not return to the mountain
until the following May.
Anna
Mary Robertson Moses, a painter, better known around the world as “Grandma
Moses”, was a great-granddaughter of Hezekiah King. In 1953 she was in
possession of a powder horn carried by Hezekiah during the Revolution
bearing an inscription that read, “Ticonderoga. Feb 24th 1777. Steal not this
horn for fear of shame, for on it is its owner’s name.”
On
March 15, 1777 another petition for incorporation was made by John
King and thirty others of Taughkanic Mountain. It was explained in the petition
that the lands in question were purchased of natives some years since, they had
improved the lands, built roads on the mountain from house to house and for
some years had paid a province rate of support of government. They raised their
full quota of men for the army and were willing to continue to contribute their
proportion of men and money. The last of their concerns was to “take proper care of some persons among us
that are unfriendly to the United
States of America.” The following final
postscript immediately followed their signatures; “As we are on a great mounten we desire your honers to give us the name of Mount
Washington.” The petition was referred on March 25, 1777 to a
committee of the house and again no further action was taken.
The next month Capt. John Spoor’s company,
Col. Benjamin Simonds’ Berkshire County regiment
marched by orders of Maj Gen Horatio Gates who was
sent with orders to assist Gen Schuyler in Saratoga. Taughkanic Mountain men Charles
Patterson, William Gains, John King Jr and
Lucius King
engaged in the company on April 26, 1777 and were discharged the end of May. (Illustration #23,Col
Benjamin Simmonds, Berkshire The First Three Hundred
Years 1676-1976, 1976, The Eagle Publishing Co., Pittsfield, MA)
From
June 29th to July 21st of 1777 Capt
John King accompanied by his son Elijah King and
neighbor Daniel Sage, served 29 days in Col. John Brown’s Berkshire County
regiment under General Schuyler in connection with the evacuation of Ticonderoga.
In
July of 1777 Colonel John Ashley’s Regiment of Militia was sent to Fort Edward
for reinforcement of the Continental Army. July 8, 1777 Hezekiah
King, John Woodin, Amos Woodin and
Asa Sparks
marched under Lieut. John Dibell in
his detachment of Col. Ashley’s Regiment. Joseph King also enlisted July 8,
1777 in Col Ashley’s Regiment however marched under Capt. Sylvanus
Wilcox’s company with the Northern army. The men who served under Lieut.
John Dibell of the mountain served 19 days and were
discharged July 29, 1777. Joseph King who served under Capt.
Sylvanus Wilcox was discharged three days prior and
was allowed 100 miles home from camp.
From
July 21, 1777 to August 15, 1777 Capt John King served
in Col. John Ashley’s Berkshire
County regiment
accompanied by John Woodin. Israel Humphrey of
Mount Washington enlisted as a private August 20, 1777 in Capt Daniel Sacket’s company, Col Woodbridge’s regiment raised for
three months. Israel
served in the Northern department for three months and nine days and was
discharged November 29, 1777. A receipt dated Mount Washington February 10,
1781 shows bounty paid to Israel
by Capt John King to serve in the Continental Army during the
war.
On September 18, 1777 Daniel
Sage, Daniel Dibble and John King Jr
enlisted in Capt Sylvanus Wilcox’ company of Col John
Ashley’s Berkshire regiment and were sent to
reinforce the Continental Army for the Saratoga Campaign. The Battle of
Freeman’s Farm, the first engagement the Battle of Saratoga occurred the next
day, stopping the British advance led by Gen Burgoyne. Militia units continued
to arrive as the American force swelled upwards of 10,000 men. At the Battle of
Bemis Heights on October 7th, the last major engagement in the
Saratoga Campaign, American forces threw back the British under Gen Burgoyne
causing him to retreat to Saratoga.
After a week of negotiations between Gen Horatio Gates and Gen John Burgoyne
the British marched out of their camp on October 17, 1777 to surrender their
arms. The men of Taughkanic Mountain
were discharged the same day after 28 days of service with the Northern Army.
The
next year the focus of the American Revolution turned to the southern states
and the men of Taughkanic Mountain
appear to have remained home. The first proprietor’s book of Mount
Washington was destroyed when the house of a past town clerk
burned during the mid 1800’s. The first recorded meeting in the second
proprietor’s book was dated November 5, 1778 and was held at the house of Stephen
Bump. Lieut John Dibble was chosen as
moderator and John Hulett as proprietor’s
clerk. Capt John King and Peter Woodin
were chosen as a committee to receive the money from the proprietors and apply
it to the General Court to secure the lands to the proprietors. At this meeting
it was voted to call the town Mount Washington.
At a meeting held March 1, 1779 at the
vacant house of Samuel Dibble he was chosen as clerk. His brother Lieut John Dibble was chosen as
moderator, Charles Patterson, Capt John King, William Campbell and
Sgt John Woodin were chosen a
committee to take care of the minister and school lots. Lieut John Dibble, Charles Patterson and
Capt Robert Campbell were chosen a committee, “to assist John King and
Peter Woodin chosen at the last meeting.”
Finally on June 21, 1779 the town of Mount
Washington was incorporated. The act of incorporation
passed the House of Representatives on the 19th and bears the
signature of the Speaker, John Hancock.
One
year later on June 25, 1780 Gen George Washington wrote to Congress expecting
an invasion by the British up the Hudson River with West
Point as a target. Capt John King entered
into service June 27, 1780 and marched by order of Brig Gen Fellows on the
alarm of the 27th to sustain fort at West Point
and served 8 days. June 29, 1780 Gen George Washington agreed to let Benedict
Arnold have command of West Point. Benedict
Arnold soon offered in a letter to the British to surrender West
Point for 20,000 pounds.
James
Hatch, John Spencer and Epenetus
Owen were of the men raised by the town of Mount Washington for service of 6 months in
the Continental Army during 1780 and they enlisted July 13th. James
Hatch and John Spencer were of a list of men
returned by Brig Gen John Paterson of Lenox as having passed muster in a return
dated Camp Totoway on
October 25, 1780. John Spencer was discharged
December 9th and James Hatch was discharged
December 18th. The two men were allowed 75 miles home. Epenetus Owen was a Private in Capt Timothy Remick’s company, Col Joseph Vose’s 1st Regiment and was on a muster roll
January 1781 dated West Point. He was
discharged January 7, 1781 and was allowed 75 travel miles home.
On October 23, 1780 Capt
John King of Mount Washington in command of a detachment of Col
John Ashley’s Berkshire Regiment marched towards Bennington to guard frontiersmen on an alarm.
Mount Washington men under his command were Samuel
Dibble and his brother Lieut. John Dibble, Peter Woodin, Benjamin Campbell, Nathan Campbell, William
Campbell, Samuel Daniels, Gershom Darling, Elijah
King, Abner Wilcox, Allen Sage Jr. and
his brother-in-law Asa Sparks. The men were discharged after two days of
service on October 25, 1780.
On
Christmas day 1780 it was “Voted that the
assessors procure a list of real and personal estate of Mount Washington
(reconsidered) Mr.
Robert Campbell and
Mr. Jesse Royce having appeared in the meeting and engaged
on the part of the town of Mount Washington, of which they are the selectmen
and impowered that the said town shall raise two men
and 3100 pounds weight of beef towards the men and beef required by the general
court of the town which proportion is acceded to and the said selectmen have
engaged on the part of sd Mount Washington in case sd men and beef on the settlement of the next valuation
shall appear to be less than their proportion of men & beef compared with
the sd town of Sheffield that they will pay
immediately on demand the balance into the treasury of sd
Sheffield and John Fellows and Theo Sedgwick Esq. have engaged on the part of
Sheffield that if she sd men and beef shall by sd valuation appear to be more than the proportion of sd Mount Washington that they sd
Fellows & Sedgwick will immediately on notice thereof pay the balance into
the treasury of sd Mount Washington which agreement
is ratified by the town.”
A
receipt dated February 26, 1781 shows bounty paid to Nicholas
Louke of Mount Washington by William Campbell,
one of a committee of the town of Mount
Washington, to serve in the Continental Army for the
term of 3 years. The receipt read; “I Nicholas Louke hereby acknowledge that I have received of William Campbell committee man of the town of Mount
Washington the sum of sixty three pounds hard money as an encouragement and
inducement to me to enter into the Continental Service for the term of three
years to be under the Continental officers that is or shall be appointed. I say
received by me this 26 Day of February A D 1781 in presents. – Nicholas Louke.
Robert Haxton, George Campbell, witness”
October
14, 1781 Daniel Dibble, Allen Sage Jr, Peleg Benjamin and Abner
Wilcox engaged in Capt James Campbell’s detachment of Col John
Ashley’s Berkshire Regiment. The roll was sworn to in Sheffield and the company
marched to Saratoga
at the request of Gen Stark and Gen Horatio Gates on an alarm. The men of Mount Washington were discharged October 19th
paid for 10 days service including 4 days (80 miles) of travel home.
The
town paid the state in 1782, one hundred and five pounds towards war expense.
In April of that year the British Parliament ceased military force to regain
control of the colonies but would not recognize American independence. On
November 30, 1782 the United States
sent Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay to Paris to sign the prelimary
articles of peace with the British. Great Britain was to recognize
American independence and evacuate all British troops. News of the provisional
peace agreement did not reach Virginia
until late April 1783. The Treaty of Paris signed September 3, 1783 ended the
War and gave formal recognition to the United States and established its
boundaries.
By the end of the Revolutionary War the
residents of Mount Washington gained
validation to their land holdings that had been under scrutiny for several
decades and the independence of a new nation. On July 4, 1824 a celebration was
held on the summit of Mount Everett
commonly referred to as “the dome.” It is thought that the celebration was
intended to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of
the town of Mount Washington.
79 year old Revolutionary War veteran Charles Patterson of
Mount Washington delivered an address in place of Norman Hicox
of Sheffield whose fatigue from climbing the mountain from Sheffield
prevented him from doing so as planned. Charles was followed by Rev
Ebenezer Lamson who was a Baptist Chaplain during the
Revolution and served from Connecticut.
At 83 years of age he spoke of his revolutionary war experiences including
anecdotes and songs of the Revolution. Flags projected from crevices of the
rocks, a liberty pool was erected and tables were set holding refreshments in
abundance. A cannon of considerable size was hauled up the mountain and salutes
from the cannon and guns were frequently fired.
The
Old Burial Ground in Mount Washington, also known as Ann
Lee Cottage
Cemetery and North
Hughes Farm
Cemetery, is commonly known as the
oldest cemetery in Berkshire of white
settlers. In it are the graves of Revolutionary War veterans Capt
Charles Patterson and Lieut. John Dibble Jr. Capt John King
referred to by Charles Patterson in a letter dated June 6, 1808 as an “old
friend” is buried in the Mount
Washington Cemetery
in the center of the town. Rev Ebenezer Lamson a
Revolutionary War veteran who served from Connecticut is buried there as well.
(HOME)
Bibliography:
Berkshire, The First Three Hundred Years 1676-1976, published
1961, William H Tague & Robert B Kimball, The
Eagle Publishing Company, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Library of Congress
catalog card number 76-10890
Ancestry.com. Massachusetts
Soldiers & Sailors in the War of the Revolution
Berkshire Geology, Collections of the Berkshire
Historical & Scientific Society, Vol III, Pgs
319-335, James D Dana. Mount Washington Historical address June 1, 1907
History of Berkshire County, Mass., with Biographical Sketches
of its Prominent Men, Town of Mount Washington, Herbert Keith, Chapter XIII,
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