between them and Massachusetts,"^ but claimed that half the
expense of settling the boundary lines sliould be borne by tiic
adjoining Province. They promised "ample provision for liis
honorable support " 'as soon as practicable. They voted a salary
<if .£250 to the governor, which they increased to ^500, and
an additional sum for house rent. They presented their agent,
Thomlinson, with ^^500 sterling for his faithful services. They
also issued paper money to the amount of ^£^25,000. Tlic
governor's salary was further increased by ^800 sterling, his
pay as surveyor of the woods, an office which Dunbar was in-
duced to resign upon receipt of ^2,000 sterling. Thomlinson
brought about the appointment of Wentworth to the office upon
the surrender of his claim of JSf'.ooo against the Spanish
c.own.'
The good foitune of Governor Wentworth did not fail to
raise up envious enemies, but their schemes for his overthrow
were futile.
In 1744 the proprietors of Suncook chose Colonel Benjamin
Rolfe, Mr. Andrew McFarland, and Deacon Noah Johnson, to
treat with the proprietors of the Town of Bow, at their ne.xt
meeting, and "to see upon what terms or agreement thev will
come into with us concerning our lands which the\' have in
dispute with us, and see if said proi^rietors will take up with
such offers or proposals as the Province or l'rf)vinces shall make
unto them ; or some other way; so that all controversies or law-
suits may be ended for the future, that s<i it may be for theirs
and our peace and benefit."
The war commenced between lingland and Spain soon in-
volved nearly all Europe. When France became an ally of the
Spaniards, New England became interested. The French garri-
son at Cape l^reton, having earlv information of the declaration
of war, surprised and captured the unprepared JCnglisli fishing
' Relkr.T:i.
1744] KovAL ruoviNCE. 199
station at Canseau, near the northern part of Nova Scotia, and
were assisted by the Indians. As a consequence the govern-
ment of Massachusetts declared war against the French and
Indians in October, 1744, and offered a bounty for scalps and
prisoners.
From the pen of Rev. Daniel Rollins, a descendant of the
chief actor in the romantic drama of the Louisburg war, comes
the following accounts :
France had declared war on the 15th of March, 1744; and
about si.x months prior to that time. Governor Shirley sent a letter
to Colonel Pepperrell, desiring him to hold his regiment in readi-
ness to protect the frontier against the Indians. He accordingly
sent copies of it to each of his captains, and also added the
following spirited sentence : " I hope that He who gave us our
breath will give us the courage and prudence to behave ourselves
like true-born Englishmen."
Colonel Pepperrell was born at Kittery Point, Maine, June 27,
1696. The colony was then under the jurisdiction of Massa-
chusetts : both being subject, of course, to the crown.
The capture of Louisburg, the " Gibraltar of America," was
the leading event in our Colonial history; but it was followed
so closely by the Revolution, that it is somewhat obscured in
the light of that great struggle. The town of Louisburg,
named after " le grand monarqiic" is situated in the south-
eastern part of Cape Breton Island, adjoining Nova Scotia, and
controls the entrance to the Gulf and River St. Lawrence. It
commanded the fisheries by its position. The island also pro-
duced large quantities of excellent ship timber. That ripe
scholar, the Rev. Jeremy Belknap, in his exhaustive description
of its capture, says the town of Louisburg "was two and a half
miles in circumference, fortified in every accessible part, with a
rampart of stone from thirty to thirty-six feet high, and a dit«ch
eighty feet wide. * * * On an island at the entrance to the har-
bor, which was only four hundred yards wide, was a battery of
thirty cannon, carrying twenty-eight pound shot ; and at the
bottom of tlie harbor, directly opposite to the entrance, was the
t^rand or roval battei-\-, of twenty-eight fort)' -twos, and two
200 HISTUKV OF N'EW 11AM1>SHIKE. [l745
eighteen -pound cannon. * * * The entrance to the town was at
the west gate, over a drawbridge, which was protected by a
circular battery of thirteen twenty-four-pound cannon. These
works had been twenty-five years in building, and, though un-
finished, had cost France not less than six millions of dollars."
It is worthy of notice that only New England troops took part
in the siege. Colonel Pepperrell was selected to command the
forces, with the rank of lieutenant-general. He already occupied
the ne.Kt highest post to that of the governor, viz., president
of the council. He was also very wealthy and popular, and
likely to draw soldiers to his standard, as indeed proved to be
the case. " Nil dcspcranduni Cliristo ducc," was the motto of
the invaders. Colonel Pepperrell advanced five thousand
pounds from his own fortune, and threw himself into the work
of preparation with all the impetuosity of his nature.
The West India squadron, under Commodore Warren, which
was to co-operate with the New-England troops, failed to arrive
at the appointed time ; but they set sail without them on March
24, 1745, and after a short passage reached Louisburg, and began
at once to disembark and invest the town. On the 24th of
April, Warren and three of his men-of-war joined them, and
others arrived later. It appears that they took part in the bom-
bardment to some extent, but most of the work had necessarily
to be done by the land forces with their heavy siege-guns. The
ships also served to good purpose in preventing reinforcements
and supplies from entering the harbor. But space will not per-
mit a detailed account of the capture of the " Dunkirk of
America." Suffice it to say that the place capitulated after
a seven-weeks arduous attack by land and sea. The cross of St.
George had supplanted the lilies of France. On the 17th of
June, 1745, General Pepperrell marched into the town at the head
of his troops, and received the keys, although Commodore
Warren had vainly flattered himself that he or one of his
ofificers should have the honor of receiving the surrender of the
place. He had even gone so far as to send a letter to the
French governor, ordering him to deliver the keys to some one
whom he should afterwards desigr.ate. General Pepperrell did not
17451 ROVAI. I'KOVINCE. 20I
know of this action at the time ; and he probably never learnetl
of it, as they continued to be good friends. Very likely he
knew of Warren's desire to assume the glory ; for this was the
general opinion among the people of New England at the time,
and, indeed, feeling ran very high on the subject. Dr. Chauncey
expressed their sentiments when he wrote the following to General
Pepperrell. He said : "If the high admiral of England had been
there, he would not have had the least right to command any-
where but aboard his own ships." A good instance of the
Aiiicrican spirit thirty years prior to the Revolution.
Smollett says: "The conquest of Louisburg was the most
important achievement of the war of 1744."
Ward, in his edition of " Curwen's Journal of the Loyalists,"
says : " That such a city should have yielded to the farmers^
merchants, and fishermen of New England, is almost incredible.
The lovers of the wonderful may read the works which contain
accounts of its rise and ruin, and be satisfied that truth is
sometimes stranger than fiction."
Pepperrell received a letter from the Duke of Newcastle, dated
at Whitehall, August 10, 1745, acquainting him that his Majesty
had sent a patent from Hanover creating him a baronet of Great
]5ritain, — an honor never before conferred on a native of
America. Commodore Warren was also promoted to the rank
of admiral.
A trophy of the capture of Louisburg lies almost at our
doors. The visitor, on approaching the massive and stately
building" known as Gore Hall, at Cambridge, may see a gilded
cross over one of its doors, which was taken from a Erench
church and eventually foiuid a resting-place there. The granite
pile stands for learning and progress. The cross may well re-
mind the students and all the friends of the university of its
motto, "Christo et Ecclesise," that its meaning may never be
forgotten in our onward march.
Sir William Pepperrell embarked in Admiral Knowles'-s
squadron for Boston, Sept. 24, 1746, and arrived there on the
2nd of October, after a storm.v passage.
He set sail for London in September, 1749, and was cordially
202 IIIbT()R\' Ol' M;\V HAMl'SIIIKE. ['745
received at court by his Majesty, King George II. He was also
tlie recipient of many attentions from the Prince of Wales and
Lord HaUfax. The mayor of London waited on him, and pre-
sented him with a set of plate in honor of his distinguished ser-
vices. Sir William was a man of fine appearance, somewhat
inclined to be portly, and his dignified and elegant bearing made
him noted, even at the court of St. James. A description of
the dress which he wore when presented has not come down to
us, but he oiclinarily dressed in the rich apparel customary for
gentlemen in his day, viz., a suit of scarlet cloth trimmed with
gold lace, silk stockings and silver shoe buckles, and the usual
powdered wig. He also wore lace ruffles at his wrists, and the
long vest then in fashion. There is extant a full-length portrait
of him by the gifted Smibert, in the Essex Institute at Salem.
It belongs to, and was formerl)- in, the Portsmouth Athenaeum,
•where it should have remained.
Me lived in great style at Kittery, and kept open house for
all his friends, although he was choice in his acquaintance.
His library was the best in that part of the country, and was
much consulted by scholars, especially the clergy. His large
and substantial house was hung with beautiful paintings and
costly mirrors. His cellar was filled with rare old wines, — not
to mention the highly-prized New England rum, that had been
mellowed by its voyage to the Indies and back. His park was
stocked with deer ; he kept a coach-and-six, and also had a
splendid barge, manned by six slaves in uniform.
He owned immense tracts of land in Maine ; and it is said
that he could travel from Portsmouth to Saco River, a distance
of thirty miles, all the way on his own soil. All these vast
estates were confiscated during the Revolution.
Still another honor awaited him : for he received a commis-
sion of lieutenant-general in the royal army, bearing date Feb.
20, 1/59, giving him the command of all the forces engaged
against the French and their savage allies. But the old veteran
could not take the field, for his health was failing : and he died
on the 6th of July, 1759, in the sixty-third year of his age. His
remains were placed in the family tomb, on his estate at Kittery
Point.
174^3] KOVAL I'KOVIN'CE. 2O3
' The old I'c[ipeircll House, bnilt neail}' two luiiKlred years
^go, which has seen more of splendor, and sheltered more
famous individuals than any other private residence on this side
of the sea, is still the object of frequent pil<j;rimages to Kittery
Point. The house was built by the first William Pepperrell, the
;;reat merchant and ship-builder of his time. He accumulated
va <: wealth by trade, and his mansion reflected the boundless-
ness of his means. Grand as any old English castle, it stood
looking out to sea, girt by a great park where droves of deer
imported. His son, the famous Sir William Pepperrell, enlarged
and adorned it at the time of his marriage in 1734. This Lord
Pepperrell, the only American baronet after Sir William Phipps,
was a remarkable man. He was the richest merchant in the
colonies, and had at times two hundred ships at sea. His suc-
cess at Louisburg proved him a skilful general, and his political
iiiriuence was second to that of no man's in the colonies. The
stvle he lived in recalled the feudal magnificence of the great
barons. The walls of his great mansion were adorned with rich
carvings, splendid mirrors, and costly paintings. In his side-
board glittered heavy silver plate and rare old china. Wine a
h.undred years old, from the delicate, spicy brands of Rhineland
to the fiery Tuscan, was in his cellars. He kept a coach with
si.K white horses. A retinue of slaves and hired menials looked
to him as their lord ; and he had a barge upon the river, in
which he was rowed by a crew of Africans in gaud)- uniforms.
The only man in all the colonies worth two hundred thousand
pounds sterling, reigning grandly over grand estates ; for, like
an English peer, he might have travelled all day long upon his
own lands, sovereign lord, in fact, if not in name, of mor-? than
five hundred thousand acres, — timber, plain and valley, — i.i New
Hampshire and Maine. Sir William Pepperrell coukl do this,
and yet not live beyond his means.
The original paper remains on the walls of the wide iiall, as
do the deer antlers above the doors. The observatory upon the
roof affords a fine view of the surrounding country. A noble
avenue of ehns, a quarter of a mile in length, formerly i- â– from
" lie J Myrnn Cilbv.
204 HISTORY OF NICW HAMPSHIRE. [ 1 74^
the street to the door. The trees were about one rod apart.
The perspective effect of this grand avenue must have been
peculiarly graceful and impressive. Some vandal cut down the
trees years ago. But no one can destroy the beauty of the
noble site on which the mansion stands. The late James T.
Fields, an honored son of Portsmouth, endeavored, among
others, to purchase it for a summer residence.
One of the prime movers and most enthusiastic supporters
of the expedition against Louisburg was William Vaughan, son
of Lieut.-Governor Vaughan of New Hampshire, who was exten-
sively engaged in fishing along the eastern coast. Some claim
that he originated the idea. Governor Shirley, of Massa-
chusetts, having determined upon the matter, Vaughan rode
express from Boston to Portsmouth, where the New Hampshire
Assembly was sitting. Governor Wentworth, between whom
and Governor Shirley the most amicable relations existed, im-
mediately laid the matter before them, and proposed a confer-
ence of the two houses to be held on the next day. The house
of representatives having caught the enthusiasm of Vaughan
were impatient of even this delay, and immediately took favor-
able action, appropriated ;£4,ooo, and authorized the governor
to select two hundred and fifty men and provide stores and
transports. To raise the necessary money, they had to go beyond
the power vested in them by the crown, but were advised to do so
by Governor Shirley. By the middle of February their quota of
men were enlisted, eager to serve under such a popular man as
Colonel Pepperrell. Governor Wentworth was at first inclined
to take command of the force, but was persuaded to stay at
home. The famous George Whitefield gave the expedition a
motto, AUl Desperandiim Christo Diicc, which almost gave it the
character of a crusade.
Including the crew of an armed sloop in command of Captain
John Fernald, New Hampshire furnished three hundred and
fifty men, organized into a regiment under command of Colonel
Samuel Moore, besides one hundred and fifty men enlisted in
Massachusetts regiments, or one-eighth of the whole land force.
The New Hampshire troops arrived at the rendezvous at Can-
1746] K(i\Al. I'I;()\-1NCE. 205
seau the last dav of March, two days before the arrival of their
comrades.
The expedition was planned by a lawyer, executed by a mer-
chant, at the head of a body of husbandmen and mechanics,
animated indeed by ardent patriotism, but destitute of professi-
onal skill and experience. " If an\' one circumstance had taken
a wrong turn on our side, and if any one circumstance had not
taken a wrong turn on the French side, the expedition must have
miscarried." ^
The impregnable fortress capitulated after a short siege, in
â– which New Hampshire lost eleven men, five killed and six died
of sickness. Lieutenant-Colonel Vaughan especially distin-
guished himself. The British navy, however, reaped most of
the rich harvest from the victory ; but Wentworth and Shirley
were confirmed in their governments as a result.
During the year 1746 the conquest of Canada was planned by
the British ministry, and the American Colonies were directed
to prepare for the contest. The Indians attached to the inter-
ests of the French had already commenced their depredations
along the whole frontier, destroying the fields and cattle, burn-
ing houses and mills, and killing and carrying away the inhabi-
tants. So an offensive campaign was designed to carry the war
into the country of the enemy. Eight hundred men were
enlisted in New Hampshire in June, and ready for embarkation
in July, under command of Colonel Atkinson ; but the English
fleet which was to co-operate with it did not arrive. The arri-
val in Nova Scotia of a French army and fleet alarmed New
England, and for a time they acted on the defensive, strength-
ening the forts at the mouth of the river and preparing for an
attack. But the French fleet met with misfortunes and losses,
gave up their proposed attempt to subdue New England, and
returned to France greatly discouraged. To New Englanders
the troubles of the French seemed providential. Colonel
Atkinson's regiment during the fall and winter was stationed
on the frontier in the neighborhood of Lake Winnipiseogee.
During the war Massachusetts sustained garrisons in the
206
lilSlOKV (IF M:\V IIAMl'SllIKE.
[174&
valley of the Connecticut, in to\vn,shi[)s tiiat had been granted
by that Province within New Hampshire, to j^rotect their
northern frontier. They had forts at Number Four, or Charles-
town ; Great Meadow, or Westmoreland ; (ireat I'^all, orWalpole ;
Fort Dummer, or Hinsdale ; Upper Ashuelot, oi- Keene ; and
Lower Ashuelot, oi- Swanzev. New Hampshire maintained
garrisons along the frontier of their settlements at Penacook,
or Concord ; Suncook, or Pembroke ; Contoocook, or ]5oscawen ;
New Hopkinton, or Hopkinton ; Soiihegan ]{nst, or M,-rrimack :
Souliegan West, or Amherst; and at Londondeiry, Chester,
Flpsom, and at Rochester. In the gai'rison houses the inhabitants
took refuge by night and never left them with a feeling of security.
They went constantly armed. Nor were their fears without
foundation. Although parties of scouts were kept ranging the
woods, surprises and attacks, more or less successfiil, were of
frequent occurrence.
Tiie first a[)pcarance of the enem\- in the Province was at
Great Meadows, eaih' in }u]x. 1744. wheie they killed William
Phi]xs. Tlie .same week they killetl Josej)!! I'isher oi Upper
Ashuelot.
1746] ROVAL PKO\INXE. 20/
In October the Indians captured Nehemiah How and killed
David Rugg at Great Meadow.
In the spring of 1746 the Indians captured John Spofford,
Isaac Parker, and Stephen Farnsworth, at Number Four,
and killed their cattle. In April they attempted to surprise
the Fort at Upper Ashuelot. John Ballard and the wife of
Daniel McKenny were killed and Nathan Blake was taken into
captivity. They burned several houses and barns. About
the same time they surprised a garrisoned house at New
Hopkinton and captured and took to Canada Samuel Burbank
and David Woodwell and six members of their families. Mary
Woodwell, one of the captives, afterwards joined the Shakers
at Canterbury.
In May a small party made an attack upon Number Four, and
killed Seth Putnam, but were repulsed by Major Josiah Willard.
At Contoocook Elisha Cook and a negro were killed and
Thomas Jones taken captive. At Lower Ashuelot, Timothy
Brown and Robert Moffat were captured. Near the end of
the month there was cjuite a battle at Number Four, in which
five were killed on each side.
In June another engagement occurred at the same place,
in which one settler lost his life. Captain Phinehas Stevens
was in both battles. At Bridgman's Fort, near I'^ort Dummer,
William Robbins and James Baker were killed, and Daniel How
and John Beaman were captured. At Rochester, they killed
Joseph Heard, Joseph Richards, John Wentworth, and
Gershom Downs, and wounded and captured John Richards
and took a boy named Jonathan Door.
in August they killed one Phillips at Number Four, Joseph
Rawson at Winchester, and Moses Roberts at Rochester.
At Contoocook two men were taken. At Rumford, on the road
to Millville, were killed Samuel Bradley, Jonathan Bradley,
Obadiah Peters, John Bean, and Peter Lufkin. Alexander
Roberts and William Stickney were carried into captivity. The
Indians lost four killed and several wounded, two of them
mortally. A monument marks the site of the massacre on
the outskirts of the precinct of the city of Concord. A Mr. Es-
tabrook was killed near the same place in November.
208 HISTOKV OF NEW IIAMI'SUIRE. [ 1 747
In the fall ot i~4f>, Massachusetts withdrew her garrisons
from the towns within New Ham|jshire and many of the inhab-
itants left at the same time. Four families, who remained at
Shattuck's fort, in Hinsdale, successfully defended it against
an Indian attack
In the Spring of 1747, Captain Phinehas Stevens, with a
ranging company of thirty men, occupied the fort at Number
Four, and within a few days sustained a most determined attack
from a party of French and Indians, which was kept up for
three days, when the enemy retired Robert Beard, John
Folsom, and Elizabeth Simpson were killed at Nottingham.
In the autumn, Bridgeman's fort (Hinsdale) was captured, with
its garrison, several of whom were killed and the others
taken to Canada.
That wide stretch of hilly country lying between the Mer-
rimack and Connecticut rivers was, ' at that time, a densely-
wooded wilderness. The few who would have ventured to
occupy it well knew that so long as the French remained in
possession of Canada the region was in continual danger from
attacks by the Indians. In 1746 these attacks had become
so frequent and successful, that many of the settlements com-
menced in the central and southern parts of the State had been
abandoned. There remained on the Merrimack small openings
at Nashua, Litchfield, Concord, Amoskeag, Suncook, Boscawen,
and Canterbury, and one at Hinsdale and another at Charles,
town on the Connecticut ; but the entire midland between these
valleys was an unbroken, heavy-wooded country.
In the fall of 1747 two explorers from Dunstable, Nehemiah
Lovewell and John Gilson, started from the present site of
Nashua for the purpose of examining the slope of the Mer-
rimack, and of crossing the height of land to Number Four,
now Charlestown, which was known as the most northern
settlement in the Connecticut valley. Knowing the difficulties
in traversing hills and valleys mostly covered with underbrush
and rough with fallen timber and huge bowlders, they carried as
light an outfit as possible — a musket and camp-blanket each,
' Jolin H. l-ood.lle.
1747] ROVAL I'KtniN'CE. 2og
with five tlays' provisions. Following the Souhegan to Milford
and Wilton, they then turned northward, and crossing the
height of land in the limits of the present town of Stoddard, had
on the afternoon of the third day their first view of the broad
valley westward, with a dim outline of the mountains be-
yond. The weather was clear and pleasant, the journey
laborious but invigorating. On their fourth night they camped
on the banks of the Connecticut, some ten miles below Charles-
town. At noon of the next day they were welcomed at the rude
fort, which had already won renown by the heroic valor of its
little garrison.
At this time the fort at Number Four was commanded by
Captain Phinehas Stevens, a man of great energy and bravery,
Lovewell and Gilson were the first visitors from the valley
of the Merrimack, and their arrival was a novelty. That night,
as in later days they used to relate, they sat up till midnight,
listening to the fierce struggles which the inmates of this
rude fortress, far up in the woods, had encountered within
the previous eight months. The preceding winter this fort had
been abandoned, and the few settlers had been compelled to
return to Massachusetts. But Governor Shirley felt that so im-
portant an outpost should be maintained. As soon as the
melting of the deep snow in the woods would permit, Captain
Stevens, with thirty rangers, left Deerfield for Number Four
and reached it on the last day of March. The arrival was most
fortunate. Hardly was the fort garrisoned and the entrance
made secure when it was attacked by a large force of French
and Indians. Led by Debeline, an experienced commander,