With Pepperrell at Louisburg
What American boy or girl whose
grandfather served in the Civil War or whose father was a
soldier in the war with Spain, has not climbed upon his knee and
begged him to tell the story of his wonderful adventures in camp
or on battlefield? And if no relative was a veteran, how eagerly
have the children listened to stories told by Grand Army men at
annual camp-fires on Memorial Day or at Fourth of July
celebrations!
It was just the same with the O'Brien
boys whose father, Morris O'Brien, fought with the colonial
militia that captured the fortress of Louisburg in 1745, then
the strongest fortification in America.
There were six boys in the O'Brien
fami1y, Jeremiah, called Jerry, being the oldest. Then came
Gideon, William, Joseph, John and Dennis. These boys had three
sisters, Martha, Joanna and Mary.
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Sir William Pepperrell |
From the time Jerry was a sturdy lad and
Dennis a mere toddler, these boys were never happier than when,
gathered about the big fireplace in their home in Scarboro,
their father related the story of General Pepperrell and the
siege of Louisburg. Before he could begin the story of the great
expedition, the boys always insisted that their father tell
about his voyage across the sea in one of Pepperrell 's ships
and his landing at Kittery where the first thing he saw was the
General's fine mansion as it stood on the hillside facing the
sea.
"You must know, my lads, that although I
was bound out to a respectable tailor of Cork, my old home in
Ireland, and had well learned his good trade, I was not
satisfied to pass all my days cooped in a shop stitching away
with thread and needle and pressing seams with an iron goose. I
yearned to be out in the world, where brave deeds were being
done and where a young man might win a fortune, such as was
never made in a tailor's shop.
"One day" an American sea captain came
to our shop and ordered a suit of clothes to be made within two
weeks, when his ship would be ready for the homeward voyage.
That was like the Americans, I thought, always wanting things in
a hurry. But the master took the order, and gave the work to me,
which, by dint of hard labor, I was able to finish at the
appointed time.
"During the two weeks the captain was
much at our shop, for he was most particular as to the set of
his garments; and while I measured, fitted and stitched, he,
being a genial man, talked much of his life on the sea, of his
ship and her owner, William Pepperrell of Kittery in the
Massachusetts Colony.
"When my work was finished, the captain
had a suit of which to be proud, and so he seemed; for when he
paid the master he slipped a half crown into my hand, saying
that America was just the place for a young man who had so well
learned his trade.
"From that day I determined to go to
America, and the summer following, being twenty-five years old,
I took passage with the same captain in another of the
Pepperrell ships making her maiden voyage.
"I had many talks with the captain
before we reached this side of the ocean and came to know much
more concerning William Pepperrell, his ships and warehouses,
his great estate including several towns and hundreds of acres
of virgin forest between the two rivers, Saco and Piscataqua,
whence came the timber of the vessels built in his own
ship-yards at Kittery. I learned of the splendid mansion,
Pepperrell's home, with the carved furniture and rich hangings,
from whose windows the owner might see his ships discharging
valuable cargoes from foreign lands and still other ships ready
to launch from the nearby yards.
"When I reached America, I soon found
that all the captain told was true. William Pepperrell was not
only the richest man in the colony but also one of the most
respected and beloved because of his noble character, kind and
genial manner toward all, his devotion to the public welfare and
the wisdom and faithfulness with which he performed every duty.
The generous hospitality of his beautiful home was dispensed
alike to neighbors and to guests of high degree.
"When a young man he had been appointed to responsible civil and
military offices and now was president of the Governor's Council
and Lieutenant Colonel of the York County regiment of militia.
"Often did I see the Colonel walking
about the streets of Kittery dressed in a rich suit of scarlet
and gold, with lace frills at wrist and neck and gold buckles at
the knee. More often was he to be seen riding in his great coach
with gay outriders and attendants.
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Pepperrell Mansion, Kittery
As it looked in the days of Sir William.
It still stands, but has been remodeled |
"One Sabbath, soon after my arrival, I
went with others of the village to the Pepperrell mansion to
listen to the famous Parson Whitefield, a great friend of the
Pepperrell's and a frequent visitor at their home. The Colonel
welcomed each guest on entering the great hall, and when he
knew^ I was a stranger but lately come to Kittery bade me a
friendly welcome and wished me well. From that moment I would
have served him gladly, even at risk of my life.
"However, I did not remain long in
Kittery, there being no need for another tailor. Upon looking
about, I came to Scarboro and here at Dunstans' Corner I have
had my shop all these years, busy years and happy too, for soon
I met your mother and now you children are all here. Only once
have I parted from home and dear ones and that was at the time
when I went with other men of Scarboro to help capture the great
French fortress at Louisburg."
Chapter II.
"Tell us about Louisburg," the children
pleaded.
"That is a long story," said Morris
'Brien.
"The news that France and England had
declared war reached Louisburg several wrecks before it was
known in Boston and the French Governor soon sent out a party of
soldiers and Indians who captured the village of Canso in
Acadia, burning the dwellings and taking eighty prisoners back
to Louisburg,'' Morris O'Brien continued.
"When this became known in New England,
the people, who remembered the last war with the French, were
filled with terror at what might befall their homes and families
at the hands of these French war parties.
"Our Colonel Pepperrell sent word to all
his captains to be prepared for attacks and added, "I hope that
he who gave us breath will also give us courage to behave
ourselves like true-born Englishmen.' This message encouraged
the people, but all felt that so long as Louisburg was a French
stronghold there was no promise of safety.
"Moreover,' O'Brien continued,
"merchants like Pepperrell, who had many vessels engaged in the
fisheries and in trade with Europe and the West Indies, knew
they would meet great losses; for the French warships would sail
out from that safe harbor and capture their vessels, crews and
rich cargoes.
"For these reasons, the people of the
Colonies longed to see Louisburg captured and were willing to
help reduce it. Our Governor Shirley and others were planning
how this might best be accomplished when the Canso prisoners,
who had been kept at Louisburg for several months, were sent to
Boston, as the French had promised them.
"These men were eagerly questioned by
the officials who wished to know more about the place and the
strength of the fortifications. They replied that although the
fort was strong and well fortified with powerful guns, the
garrison was mutinous, the supplies of food were low and no more
could be obtained until the ships came from France in the
spring.
"So it was plainly seen that even a small army might capture
Louisburg, if it attacked just as the ice was breaking up the
following spring, before help arrived from France. And this was
the plan decided upon by the Colonial authorities.
"When Governor Shirley called for volunteers and we heard that
our beloved Colonel Pepperrell had been appointed to lead the
expedition, there was excitement and enthusiasm everywhere, for
we believed that, with Pepperrell as commander, we should be
successful.
"You may be sure I was among the first
of the Scarboro men to enlist and was in the first company of
the General's own regiment.
"It was early in February when enlisting
began and so rapidly were the regiments recruited and supplies
obtained that within two months the forces were on transports in
Boston Harbor ready to sail for Louisburg.
"Meanwhile a fleet of thirteen armed
vessels had been collected and, with Capt. Edward Tyng of
Falmouth as commodore, sailed in advance of the trans-ports to
capture any French vessels that might try to get into Louisburg
with supplies. The expedition was also joined by a small
squadron of the Royal Navy, which had wintered in the West
Indies, commanded by Sir Peter Warren. This proved of great
importance during the siege, for with the colonial fleet a
strict blockade of Louisburg Harbor was maintained and several
French ships captured.
"It had been planned to surprise the
French if possible, but when we reached Canso it was found that
an immediate attack was impossible, for the waters around Cape
Breton Island were still ice-bound. So the troops were landed at
Canso. Here we passed three weeks impatiently waiting for the
ice to clear. We used this time to good advantage in building a
battery and block house, preparing necessary supplies and in
daily drill.
"On April twenty-sixth word was brought
by one of the cruisers that the ice had left Gabarus Bay and
three days later we sailed for Cape Breton Island.
"Of course it was impossible to surprise
the French, for they had seen our fleet and sent a force of
soldiers from the fort to prevent our landing. General
Pepperrell easily deceived them as to the place by sending out
several boats towards Flat Point, but, when near to the shore,
they suddenly turned and came back toward the transports. Other
boats then joined them and they pulled at top speed for a small
cove two miles above the point, and reached it sometime before
the French could march around by land. "When they did arrive,
enough of our men were ashore easily to drive the French back to
Louisburg. Thus we were unopposed, and during the day landed two
thousand men.
"General Pepperrell lost no time in
finding out all that could be learned regarding the region
around Louisburg. That first afternoon he sent Colonel Vaughan,
one of his most fearless and resolute officers, with four
hundred soldiers to reconnoiter.
"At night Vaughan sent all except
thirteen of his men back to camp with his report, but he and the
thirteen passed the night in the woods.
''In the morning occurred the most
fortunate event of the siege. When Vaughan and his little
company of men, on their return, came opposite the Royal
Battery, nothing was to be seen of the garrison. One of his men,
a Cape Cod Indian, was sent forward to investigate and found
that the French had abandoned the Battery during the night after
spiking the guns.
''Vaughan and his men took possession of
the Royal Battery which the French had abandoned, and William
Tufts, a lad of eighteen, climbed the flag-pole and fastened to
its top his scarlet coat as a substitute for the British flag.
"This Royal Battery was indeed a prize
for it not only commanded the harbor, and if held by the French
could easily have kept off our blockading ships, but it
contained thirty-five cannon of which we were in sore need.
These had been hastily spiked, but Major Pomroy, a gunsmith by
trade, soon had them drilled open and before night they were
ready to use against the fortress.
"Soon a tremendous difficulty presented
itself. General Pepperrell had ordered a battery of our guns,
which had been landed from the transports, placed on Green Hill,
the first in the range north of the fortress. This hill was two
miles from our camp and the intervening land was a low, wet
swamp. When we tried to drag the first gun across this swamp,
the wheels of the carriage at once sank to the hubs in moss and
mud, and, before long, carriage and gun had disappeared. What
could be done? Our difficulty was solved by Colonel Meserve of
the New Hampshire regiment. He had been a ship-builder and his
knowledge of such work now served a good purpose, for he ordered
built rude sledges of heavy timbers and on these we placed the
guns. We had no oxen or horses to haul the sledges, nor would
they have been of much help for they also would have sunk in the
spongy soil. So we formed great teams of two hundred each, and,
harnessed to the sledges with rope and breast-straps and traces,
we dragged the guns along, wading to our knees in the muck. In
this manner with prodigious labor we got the guns into place and
in four days or rather nights, for we had to work under cover of
darkness to escape the French cannon balls, a battery of six
guns was planted on Green Hill and began at once to return the
French fire.
"As all other means had failed, it was
decided to try a midnight attack. Four hundred men under Captain
Brooks, on the night of May twenty-sixth, put off in boats from
the Royal Battery and nearly reached the island before they were
discovered by the French. At once shot and shell fell upon the
boats as the guns of the French battery were turned on them.
Although some of our men reached the island and made a dash for
the works with scaling ladders, they were driven back by the
terrific fire of the enemy and many were killed. Others were
driven into the sea and drowned, but the largest number were
made prisoners, only a few returning safely to the Royal
Battery. This was our severest loss of the siege and proved that
the Island Battery could not be captured by a sortie. So another
plan was tried.
"At the right of the harbor entrance
just opposite the Island Battery and only half a mile distant, a
new battery was planted under command of Colonel Gridley. As
this point was too far from camp to drag the guns by the team
method, it was necessary to take them around by boat, then hoist
them up the steep, rough cliffs and so get them into position.
By June fourteenth six guns were ready, and at noon, they joined
with all our other guns in a salute in honor of King George,
that day being the anniversary of his accession to the throne.
"On the day following Commodore Warren
came ashore for a council with General Pepperrell and his
officers. It was planned by them to make a combined attack upon
the fortress; the fleet coming into harbor and bombarding while
our forces attacked from the land. Just as Sir Peter was about
to return to his flagship, Duchambon, the French commander, sent
out a messenger under flag of truce, asking for suspension of
hostilities and terms of surrender.
"On May seventh, when the siege had but
begun, Pepperrell and Warren had sent Duchambon a summons to
surrender. He had replied that his king had confided the command
of the fortress to him and his only reply must be by the mouth
of his cannon. Now, however, he was ready to surrender for the
French were in a perilous condition. The accurate and incessant
fire of our guns had wrought appalling destruction to the walls
and gates of the fortress. The town was a ruin. Reinforcements
from Canada had not arrived and the ships sent from France with
supplies of food and ammunition had been captured by our
cruisers. Sensing all this the French could do naught but
capitulate, accepting the terms offered by our commanders w4io
assured them of 'humane and generous treatment.'
"That was a happy day for us you may be
sure, and a proud one, too, for we had accomplished that which
the French had considered impossible. In six weeks the strongest
fortifications in America had fallen, not to veterans with
trained leaders, but to a small force of raw, provincial militia
commanded by a merchant. Yes, our victory was complete. No
longer could Louisburg shelter our enemies or endanger our
liberties.
"King George showed his appreciation of
Pepperrell's services by creating him a Baronet of Great
Britain, and of Warren's services by making him a Rear Admiral.
Later Pepperrell and Governor Shirley were made Colonels in the
British Army, though never called into active service."
When Morris 'Brien finished his story he
arose and took from the high shelf over the fireplace the only
relic of the siege that he had brought back from Louisburg. This
was a brass mortar and pestle which some French housewife had
left in her hasty departure from the town.
Perhaps listening to this story made the
'Brien boys brave and daring, for after the family had moved to
Machias and Jerry and Gideon had become young men, they were
leaders in the capture of the British cutter "Margaretta" in
Machias Bay, June 12, 1775, the first naval battle of the
Revolution.
Beulah Sylvester Oxton
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