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��MILITARY AFFAIRS IN HOPKINTON.
��cer confessed to an American colonel The citizens of this town took but lit- that. during the investment of the New tie active interest in the Mexican War. England coast, he ascended the Piscata- Capt. Paul R. George was a Quarter- qua river, in the disguise of a fisherman, master in that war, taking with him El- and inspected the defenses of Ports- bridge Burbauk and David Caiton. We mouth, reporting to his commanding of- do not know that there were other resi- ficer on his return that the place was dents of this town in that service. All abundantly defended and swarmed with three of the parties returned, soldiers. This information doubtless The civil war of 1861 found the citi- had its influence in diverting the British zens of this town in a state of mind com- from the proposed attack. mon to a large part of our country's pop- The popular excitement created by u i a tion. So long a time had passed this alarm at length induced the Gov- since the pe0 ple of our town had taken ernor, on the 7th of September, to order any active interest in war, the experi- out detainments from twenty-three reg- ence had come to be looked upon as a iments of militia for the stronger defense comparative impossibility,or the threat- of Portsmouth. Two days after he is- e ned contest would be an event of the sued general orders putting all the mi- shortest possible duration. However, litia of the State in readiness for march- when , on the 13th f April, the hom- ing at a moment's notice; the detach- bardment of Fort Sumpter made the ments from the twenty-three regiments presence of war inevitable, the ardor of were to march to Portsmouth immedi- our p0 pulace became deeply aroused.
��ately. Arrived at their place of destina- tion, the detached infantry was organ- ized into a brigade of five regiments and
��Bells were rung, flags suspended, pro- cessions formed and speeches made. The call of the President on the 15th of
��one battallion, under the command of the monthi for an army of 75?0 00 men,
��Brigadier General John Montgomery, assisted by James I. Swan, Brigade- Major, and George H. Montgomery, Aid- de-Camp.
The following soldiers from Hopkin- ton were in the First Regiment, Lieut. Col. Nat. Fisk, in Capt. Jonathan Bean's company: — Thomas Towne, 1st Lieu- tenant, acting Quartermaster from Sep- tember 18; Moses Gould, Sergeant; Robert A. Bradley, Samuel Burbauk, Barrach Cass, David C. Currier, Amos Eastman, John J. Emerson, Ebenezer Morrill, John Morey, Isaac Pearce, Ha- zen Putney, Jacob Straw, William Wheel- er, privates. These men were all enlist- ed for a service of ninety days from Sep- tember 11, 1814. The following were in the Second Regiment, Lieut. Col. John Steele, in Capt. Silas Call's Company:— Nathaniel Morgan, Sergeant; Jacob Chase, Amos Frye, John Johnson, John Hastings, Alvin Hastings, Francis Stan- ley (died in service), James Eastman, Amos Sawyer, Jonathan Gove, William M. Crillis, John Burnham, privates. These men were all enlisted on the 2d
of October, 1814. to dates running from November S to November 19.
��confirmed the patriotism of our young men, and they soon began to enlist into the ranks. The first man enlisted in the town was James B. Silver; he was en- listed in Dea. Nathaniel Evans' store, where Kimball & Co.' now trade, by J. N. Paterson, of Contoocook, who had just taken out enlistment papers. Oth- er parties from this town had already enlisted in Concord. Patterson enlisted a number of men, who rendezvoused at Contoocook until they were ordered to join the Second Regiment of New Hamp- shire Volunteers at Portsmouth. On their departure they were escorted through the main street to the depot by the Hopkinton Cornet Band, which also accompanied them to Portsmouth. A large number of people witnessed their departure with evident manifestations of grief at the occasion and the loss.
During the progress of the war the town of Hopkinton did her part in main- taining the cause of the Union. One of her first public acts, after the beginning of hostilities, was to adopt the State law, passed June session, 1861, authoriz- ing the towns to provide assistance for
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