(a continuation) Captain
Solomon Pollard of Billerica hosted officers from many towns at his tavern on the 2nd of January, 1775, for the purpose of militia elections. Loammi Baldwin of Woburn (seen at right) acted as clerk. At a subsequent meeting the officers elected Loammi Baldwin first Major of Middlesex's Second Regiment of Militia. So the two men knew each other.
Solomon Pollard of Billerica hosted officers from many towns at his tavern on the 2nd of January, 1775, for the purpose of militia elections. Loammi Baldwin of Woburn (seen at right) acted as clerk. At a subsequent meeting the officers elected Loammi Baldwin first Major of Middlesex's Second Regiment of Militia. So the two men knew each other.
Now skip ahead to the Province House on March 16th when Pollard and other selectmen presented to Governor Gage the Billerica Remonstrance protesting the tarring and feathering of Thomas Ditson Jr. Baldwin was there. It appears at some point Baldwin wrote down his version of this interview with General Gage. Of course it is possible this written record is inaccurate or embellished. As evidence the whole is not fantasy is James Baldwin's appended note that his father Loammi once showed him the actual interview room.
What follows is my transcription of Baldwin's notes, aided by his son George Rumford Baldwin's 19c transcription.* Baldwin's son and I have updated some of the spelling and imposed regularization of format into a more modern day dialogue. Parentheses are added to Baldwin's descriptions of actions, leaving the supposed quoted words of the participants in the clear. Other of my additions are in square brackets [ ].
It seems some of the Boston selectmen were also present as were some of Gage's officers. Apparently the Billerica selectmen tried to present the remonstrance the day before--but Gage was either absent or too busy for them--for it starts off with his apology.
✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥✥
March 16.th 1775(His Excellency apologizes for our disappointment yesterday.)HIS EXCELLENCY GENERAL GAGE: What is your business Gentlemen?Dcn. JOSHUA ABBOTT of Billerica: (took the Remonstrance out of his pocket-gave it to His Excel’y.)HIS EXCELLENCY: you give mi this paper do you?Maj. LOAMMIN BALDWIN of Woburn: Gentlemen you had one of you better read it.(HIS EXCELLENCY gave it to Dr. Danforth who proceeded to read, till coming to some of the high seasoned parts when several of the Officers started, scowled, muttered and withdrew for a little time.)Dr. TIMOTHY DANFORTH of Billerica: (Continues reading till coming to some other exceptional passages when a number mor of the Officers behaved like and followed the others.)(The reading continued--preasently his Execellency was wounded in some vital part which caused his knees to smite and head to shake.)HIS EXCELLENCY: Stop. I am insulted. I won’t be insulted.COMMITTEE: We do not mean to insult Your Excellency.HIS EXCELLENCY: But I am insulted.COMMITTEE: May it please Your Excellency we did not mean to insult--but to assert our rights.HIS EXCELLENCY: It is very much like an insultDr. DANFORTH: But may it please Your Excellency, Every Like is not the sam. But there is but one sentence mor. Hear, or take the whole.(So it was read in conclude and the Remonstrance given to his Excellency’s hand)HIS EXCELLENCY: I condemn the action Gentleman as much as you can do. I sent for Colonel Nesbitt and Repremanded him severly and he asked my pardon and forgiveness and promised Reformation for the future. I look upon it as an high insult on me and the Town and I treated it as such. When the selectmen of Boston came to me--(I canot recollect what he said but he named them. Some were about him. Some of our Gentlemen spoke (said) something here.)HIS EXCELLENCY: Gentlemen, what further do you want me to do abou [page of original is torn]BALDWIN: We want, may it please Your Exy, that (you) should put the Martial Law in Execution against him and cashier corpalhin[?] [corporal punishment?] or brake him.HIS EXCELLENCY: I know of no Law by which I can do it.Capt. SOLOMON POLLARD of Billerica: We think you are impowered to do it by the 9-11-14 & 15 Section of the Articles of War.HIS EXCELLENCY: I know of no such acts of Parliament.(The paper was produced in which the extracts ware.)ABBOTT: Do you deny them to be true Extracts?HIS EXCELLENCY: (Looking on them) I know of no such, do you (shewing it to some of his Officers, no say thay.)BALDWIN: May it please y.r Ex.y we cannot supose the Martial Law so deficient as to suffer an officer of his rank to pass with impunity when guilty of such an atrocious crim, when we see it put in Execution against the private soldier with such strictness and severity.HIS EXCELLENCY: Was you ever obstructed in coming into Town or going out?SELECTMEN: No may it please Your ExcellencyBALDWIN: May it please Your Excellency, we are all liable to be insulted, if another man is--there are many country men that are not acquainted with the Martial Law.HIS EXCELLENCY: The Contry people must not go amongst the Soldiers in the Barracks, he had no business to go in the Barrack to intice soldiers to desert and sell their Clothes and guns. The consequences are very bad. (There was a soldier at that very time under sentence of Death for desertion.) When they get into disputes hard words will insue. I cannot help it.SELECTMEN: We do really think this man innocent, & that he was decoid apears by his affidavit.HIS EXCELLENCY; I am not certan if you read the Soldier deposition, you will find the Contry man was to blame. (one of his officers read it.) If any person speaks in favour of the King’s Measures, he is hunted & chased like a Hare upon the mountain.HIS EXCELLENCY: You seem disposed to make the worst you can of it &c.COMMITTEE: No may it please Your Excellency we mean to make the Best we can of it.[end of Baldwin's notes]
[George Rumford Baldwin continues…]Interview with his Excellency, General Gage.On this last of the two papers copied as above has been written in pencil by James F. Baldwin son of said L.B. & my brother, the following--“Nov. 16. 1843 L.Baldwin once shew me the very“place in the North room of the Province house“(near the Old South Church Boston) say in 1806 or 7“when I boarded there with Joseph Bradley“where Governor Gage sit & where the Committee“who presented a remonstrance to Gov. Gage“stood. & I suppose this is the interview“there alluded to”. JFB”
Joseph Bradley leased the Province House from the Commonwealth in July 1806. Loammi Baldwin died in October 1807. So when James Fowle Baldwin roomed in the house it would have been entirely natural for his father Loammi to visit and reminisce.
Sources:
http://socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu/ark:/99166/w6bs2qp8 [search for Bradley]
http://www.worldcat.org/title/deeds-and-documents-relating-to-the-province-house-1796-1810/oclc/84672685
A Sketch of the Life and Works of Loammi Baldwin https://books.google.com/books?id=iegpAAAAYAAJ&dq=james+f.+baldwin+%22loammi+baldwin%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s
*MS AM 1811 (305) (388). Houghton Library, Harvard University
No comments:
Post a Comment