Glovers Marblehead Regiment in the War Of. the Revolution Deprinted from the Massachusetts Magazine Vol. I, No. 2, April, 1908
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GLOVER ’ S MARBLEHEAD REGI M ENT I N THE WAR O F . T H E R EVOLUTION DE PR I NTED F R O M TH E M A SS A C H US ETT S M A G A " I N E 2 APR I 08 V O . I No . 1 L , , L , 9 9" £1 B F x’ AsAR DNE R M D y , . PR I C E 0 C E NT S , 5 B PU LI SH ED B Y TH E S A LEM PR ESS C o . A M M A S L E , SS . COL O NEL JO H N GL O V E R ’ S M AR BLEH EAD REG IM ENT B Y F R AN " . G A R D NE R M . D . A , It is eminently proper that this series of articles upon the Massachusetts Re giments in the War of the American Revolution , should be gin with an - “ ” - b account of the Marblehead or Marine Regiment , commanded y Colonel C John Glover . Few regiments in the entire ontinental A rmy were in more important engagements , or rendered greater service . It has the added l t distinction of being one of the first to be organized . On the o h of Jan 1 M uary , 775 , a town meeting was held in arblehead to make provision to pay persons who may enlist as minute men , and take other suitable steps for perfecting the militia in the arts of A committee was appointed , consisting of Gerry , Orne , Lee and others , and they reported as follows . “Whereas a proportionable part of the Inhabitants of this Town may soon be called forth to assist in defending the Charter and Constitution of th e Province as well as the Rights Liberties of all A merica ; and in Order thereto It is N ecessary they should be properly D isciplined and I nstructed ar in the Arts of W . And whereas for this purpose a greater proportion of To time must be immediately spent by those who are first take the field , than by such as shall S ucceed j oy n them It is both j ust and reasonable S — M that they shall be rewarded for their Extra ervices . " arblehead s C . town record " Eight hundred pounds was granted , and apt James M ugford was appointed paymaster for th e “detached M ilitia or ” M M e n inute , with instructions to pay the money to those only who presented an order endorsed by a committee of the town . The committee R consisted of Thomas Gerry, ichard Harris and Joshua Orne . They were : 2 instructed to allow compensation as follow s shillings a day to a private , fife rs 3 shillings to sergeants , clerks , drummers and , 4 shillings to second 4 8 lieutenants , shillings , pence , to first lieutenants and six shillings a day to . S wa s captains ervice of four hours a day required , but compensation was allowed for only three days in each w eek . In February , a vessel came to Marblehead with a chest of arms , which s was boarded by youn g patriots and the arms removed . The e were “ ” h a b am u e l R oad s r 2 Th e H i stor and Tr ad it io n s o f M ar b l e e d S . 1 . y , y , J , p 3 2 26th probably used later in equipping th e re giment . On th e of this month , the B ritish soldiers , under Col . L eslie , landed and marched to Salem . Maj or John Pedrick hastened ahead of them to Salem and gave the alarm N d . at the door of the orth Church , wh ere service s w ere being hel He was L e ’ soon joined by a party of men from Marblehead . When slie s regiment returned to Marblehead , they were met by the Marblehead Regiment and w ithout doubt blood would have been shed if the Salem encounter had been less peaceful . Th e boldness of the people of Marblehead at this time is w ell shown by the following notes found in a list of early events : M ay 22nd D rums ” and Fifes go about town ; fish ermen enlisting for Continental Army . At 20 the same time th e B ritish ship Lively , guns , was at anchor in the har bor . She was replaced a few days later by the sloop of war M erlin , and “ under date of June 6th w e read : Arrived a schooner from West I n d i e S ° ’ off Glover s ; h e went to meet h er ; the M erlin sent h is barge , to order h er ’ to the ship , Glover refused , and so run her into Gerry s wharf ; much people ” collected to see the fray . Th e C r 0th . M a re giment under olonel Glove turned out on the 3 of y , 1 775 , an alarm having been given that the B ritish soldiers were landing at . l oth . 1 the ferry It proved however to be a false report . On June , 775 , “ o l C . Glover receive d orders from the Provincial Committee of S afety to continue the Regiment under his command at Marblehead , until further ’ orders ; and to hold them in readiness to march at a moment s warning to ” At any post where he may be directed . the same time , a report was made C ff “C to the on gress by the committee on military a airs , that olonel Glover had levied ten companies , making in the whole four hundre d and five men , inclusive of officers ; and about three - quarters of said number are armed ff fi re - wh arm v with e ective locks , o are willin g and chosen to serve in the M ” under him , all now at arbleh ead . Th e Committee recomm ended that four men be commissioned Chief “ C fi e ld - offi ce rs olonels in the army and that their , captains and subalterns ” b e also commissioned as soon as the list of them can be settled . Colonel was r 1 6 Glover the fi st of the four colonel s so named . On the th of June , he came before the Congress and was commissioned as commander of the “ - fi rst Th ' Twenty Re giment . e regiment was to remain at M arblehead until ” further orders and therefore missed being at the battle of B unker Hill . 2 1 t s . C On the of June , olonel Glover received orders to march , and on the 2 2 n d . C they went to ambrid ge and joined the Provincial A rmy , under h “ General .Ward . Lossing tells us that t e uniform consisted of a blue 3 m round jacket and trousers , tri med with leather buttons ; and Colonel ff ” Glover was the most finely dressed o icer of the army at Cambridge . T he drumsticks used when the march was made to Cambridge are e preserved in the Essex Institute at Sal m . The following list shows the offi cers of the regiment upon its arrival at C 2 2 1 : ambridge , June , 775 CO L O N E L , John Glover . L L I EUT E NA NT CO L O N E ; John Gerry . M ohonnot AJOR , Gabriel J . U . A DJ T A N T , William Gibbs L e Cou rtis c S W . e W C A PT A I N , illiam R , William , illiam B a on , Thomas N c B rou hton Willi am Grant , Joel Smith , i holson g , Blackler , John Merritt , John Selman and Francis Symond s . r M UTE S . W L I E N A N T , John Glover , J , Robert Harris , illiam ills , ‘ S C n William B ubier , John B ray , John tacey , Nathaniel lark , Joshua Pre tice , I saac Collyer and William Russell . C ou rtis E N S I G N S , Edward Archbold , T homas , Seward L ee , Ebenezer r Graves , Joshua Orne , John D evereaux , J . , Nathaniel Pearce , Robert i n r s i mb le tt L a s. N , Edward H olman and George g g l C ff Th e regiment did exce lent service at ambridge , and its o icers were ff honored with many appointments by the general o icers . “ Th e fact that the organization contained so many seafaring men made it unique as a military body , and at this period , as well as several times C later in its career , this circumstance greatly increased its utility . olonel Glover early foresaw what might be accomplished on the water and upon suggesting plans to General Washington was authori zed by him to hire and fit out vessels for th e purpose of capturing , if possible , some of the B ritish supply ships constantly arrivin g in Boston harbor . They went about M this work promptly , as the following note published in the arblehead Reg 1 17 830 . ister of April th , , will prove A list is given in this paper of the early 24th C events of the Revolution : August . ompany of V olunteers arrive ’ from Cambridge for privateering . They are to go on board Colonel Glover s sch r 4th O C M . On the of ctober , olonel Glover and Stephen oylan , ’ M M e one of General Washington s aids and uster aster Gen ral , took charge of this work and the regiment was stationed at B everly for this purpose 1 2 0 1 6 .