Military History. 253 



Frequently in the archives of the State and of the various 

 towns there are references to the " Old French War," to the " Ex- 

 pedition to the Eastward," to the " Expedition to Cape Breton," 

 and to the " Capture of Louisburg." The expressions are all 

 rather misleading, because they were, and unfortunately still 

 occasionally are, indiscriminately used in referring to each of the 

 several attempts made at different times upon the French pos- 

 sessions in the northeast provinces, or to either of the several 

 wars between France and England in America subsequent to 

 1700. The mischief of the expressions becomes the greater 

 when leading, as it sometimes does, to historical errors. Indeed, 

 it is to this cause that the accurate placing of a number of our 

 own citizens, as to the time and place of service, becomes impos- 

 sible. The expression "Old French War" — and indeed the 

 others mentioned also — more generally and more properly relate 

 to the events in North America between the years 1744 and 1748, 

 during which occurred that wonderful New England military 

 expedition and crusade which resulted in the capture by some 

 four thousand men, assisted by the English fleet, of the strongest 

 fortified city in the New World, and which was considered capable 

 of resisting an army of thirty thousand. In the limits of a local 

 history it is impossible to give even the outlines of this romance 

 of New England's arms. We can only tell the very little of 

 which we have any record concerning our own townsmen's con- 

 nection with the brave Sir William Pepperell, and Commodore 

 Warren, and the officers and men who sailed from Boston in 

 March, 1745, and entered as victors the " Dunkirk of America" 

 on the 17th of June following. It is most unfortunate that the 

 rolls of these troops are lost from the State archives, and that 

 such as exist in the possession of the Massachusetts Historical 

 Society are not only very imperfect, but are comparatively value- 

 less, from the fact that the places from which the men enlisted 

 are not given. It is probably owing to this that we are enabled 

 to give the names of only a few as serving from Hingham. These 

 are Thomas Lewis, Ralph Smith, and Edward Ward. 



Among a number who signed a voluntary agreement to engage 

 in a hazardous attempt to storm the Island battery in the harbor 

 of Louisburg, we find the name of Ebenezer Beal, presumably a 

 Hingham man. Israel Gilbert, who died later in the service, is 

 said to have been a soldier in the " Old French War." 



Samuel Lincoln and John Stephenson were also at Louisburg 

 in some capacity, and received pay for assisting in " wooding the 

 garrison." The following were also soldiers at Louisburg, and 

 there can be little doubt were Hingham men ■ John Lewis, 

 Joshua Lasell, Thomas Jones, Samuel Gilbert, and John Wilder. 



By the terms of the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, concluded in 

 1748, Louisburg was surrendered to the French, and the work of 

 taking it had subsequently to be done again. 



