238 History of Hingham. 



our Town that have many sons that were never yet in this Service who 

 have also declared their willingness to take their Turns and seing God 

 hath been pleased hitherto to spare their Lives, If he should now take 

 them away before I doe again see them (upon several considerations) I 

 know not how I should beare it. My humble request therefore to your 

 Honours is that you would be pleased to consider our Condition and 

 grant them a Release from their Long service. So shall you as he is in 

 duty bound for your Honours prosperity pray and remain yours to serve 

 in what he is able. 



James Bate. 



These sons were probably Joseph and Benjamin. Besides 

 these, dishing tells us in his diary that on October 28, 1675, his 

 son Theophilus was pressed for a soldier, and marched to Men- 

 don, and that on December 11 lie returned home. 



In 1725 seven townships were granted to the officers and soldiers 

 living, and the heirs of those deceased, who were in the war of 

 1 675 ; one of these townships was Bedford, and among the grantees 

 were a number from Hingham. Besides including part of the 

 names already given as in the service during this eventful period, 

 we find those of Joseph Thorn and Samuel Gill, then still living. 

 Cornelius Cantlebury's heirs, John Arnold's heirs, and Israel 

 Vickery for his father. In this connection it may be interesting 

 to add that on June 6, 1733, a meeting of the proprietors of 

 Bedford was held on Boston Common, and that Col. Samuel 

 Thaxter presided, and that subsequently he, with others, was 

 appointed on a committee to lay out the town. Including Capt. 

 John Jacob, we are thus enabled to furnish the names of some 

 forty-five men who served from Hingham in the war against the 

 great Indian warrior. Besides these there were the six or eight 

 in Captain Holbrooke's company, and doubtless very many others 

 whose names the imperfect lists have failed to preserve to us. 

 Indeed, if the tradition that Captain Hobart commanded a 

 company in active service is well founded, the probability is 

 very strong that it was largely, if not entirely, composed of 

 Hingham men. 



The day after the draft for Captain Johnson's company was 

 observed as a " solemn day of prayer and humiliation, to suppli- 

 cate the Lord's pardoning mercy and compassion towards his 

 poor people, and for success in the endeavors for repelling the 

 rage of the enemy." 



On the 20th of December, after a night spent in the open air 

 without covering, and a toilsome march through deep snow, 

 the combined troops of Massachusetts, Plymouth, and Connecti- 

 cut arrived before the great fort of the Narragansetts, near Po- 

 casset, in Rhode Island. At about one o'clock the little army 

 moved to the attack, the advance led by Captain Johnson, who 

 was killed at the first fire, as was Captain Davenport, who fol- 

 lowed him. Before gaining the final victory, six captains were 



