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History of Hingham. 



In 1812 the Hingham Rifle Company received a charter from 

 the State, and for many years it was one of the famous militia 

 organizations in the Commonwealth. Its first captain was Dun- 

 can McB. Thaxter, while the other officers were Jairus Sprague, 

 lieutenant, and Daniel Bassett, ensign, all commissioned May 

 21, 1812. It was subsequently attached to the Light Infantry 

 Battalion as Company D, although a part of the Second Regiment 

 until that organization was disbanded. 



Early in October the company made its first public parade in a 

 uniform described in the " Boston Patriot " as " perfectly neat," 

 with '• rifles lately procured from an American armory of domestic 

 manufacture, with complete accoutrements." On this occasion a 

 standard was presented on behalf of the ladies by Miss Mary 

 Lincoln, daughter of Mr. Solomon Lincoln, and accepted by Ensign 

 Daniel Bassett in a patriotic if somewhat grandiloquent speech. 



Besides this company there were at this time the three stand- 

 ing militia companies belonging to the same regiment, and prob- 

 ably officered respectively as follows : Moses L. Humphrey, captain. 

 April 16, 1812; Samuel Hobart, lieutenant, April 16, 1812; Nathan- 

 iel Wilder, ensign, April 16, 1816 ; Martin Fearing, captain, April 

 15, 1812 ; Joseph Cushing, lieutenant, April 15, 1812 ; Adna 

 Cushing, ensiun, April 15, 1812 ; Washington Cushing. captain, 

 March 28, 1807; Joseph Wilder, ensign,' May 11, 1812. The 

 regiment was the Second Infantry, of which Nehemiah Ripley 

 became quartermaster March 30, 1812 : Thomas Loring, pay- 

 master, March 25, 1812; Ned Cushing, adjutant. March 20, 18J2 

 (he had previously been paymaster), and William Gordon, sur- 



