Military History. 309 



Indeed it may be added that much hereafter given must of neces- 

 sity be fragmentary and disconnected, and will rather serve as 

 hints of the part the town continued to take in the battle for free- 

 dom than a full history of events. It is not possible to fix the 

 time or places of service of a large proportion of the men who 

 enlisted for Hingham, nor to always state accurately their com- 

 panies, regiments, or date of entering the army. 



Among the unwise plans put into execution about this time, and 

 which was particularly annoying to Washington and discouraging 

 to the men in the regular service, was the enlistment of a force to 

 serve in the New England States only. The following is interest- 

 ing in this connection : — 



To the Honrable Bord of War : 



Gentlemen, — This may certify that I have Inlisted ten men into the 

 Servis of the four New England States, that have past muster that Can- 

 not furnish themselves with arms and acuterments. Gentlemen, pleas to 

 furnish Lt. Calvin Curtis with arms and acuterments, Sufficient for the 

 above Number of men, and you will oblige yours to Serve. In a Regiment 

 where of John Roberson, Esq., is Col. 



Seth Stowers, Capt. 



Hingham, July y 8 22 d , 1777. 



There were several expeditions against the enemy in Rhode 

 Island planned and attempted in the year 1777, none of which 

 were successful, but in all of wdiich Hingham appears to have 

 been represented. The first was in February, and a town record 

 of a meeting in May is as follows : — 



•■ At the annual meeting in May, the Town voted to raise £ 1172 for pro- 

 curing the men for the Continental Army & paying the men that were 

 employed in the Rhode Island Expedition for the said town.'' 



The next attempt was in September. Three thousand men 

 were raised from Plymouth, Bristol, and Barnstable Counties, 

 and the southern parts of Suffolk, Middlesex, and Worcester. 

 These, with Colonel Craft's regiment of State artillery and the 

 militia under General Hancock, were placed under command of 

 General Spencer of the Continental Army. Among these troops 

 was the regiment commanded by Colonel Robinson, one of whose 

 companies was that of which Seth Stowers was captain and which 

 included the following from this town : — 



Seth Stowers, Capt., Isaiah Stodder, 



Joseph Wilder, . Elisha Dunbar, 



Hosea Dunbar, Jonathan Gardner 



David Lincoln, Caleb Leavitt, 



and perhaps others. 



A company in the same expedition, commanded by Capt. Moses 

 French, of Weymouth, and in Col. Jonathan Titcomb's regiment 



