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[26]

Chapter 2: Barnstable County.

The county of Barnstable includes the whole of Cape Cod which, extending east and north into the Atlantic Ocean, was discovered by Gosnold in 1602. It is bounded north-west by Plymouth County, and west by Buzzard's Bay. Cape Cod lies in the form of an arm, half open: the elbow is at Chatham, twenty miles east of the town of Barnstable, which is the county seat. The whole length of the Cape is sixty-five miles, and the average breadth about five miles. Below the town of Barnstable the soil is composed mostly of sand; and the people in considerable degree depend upon Boston, and other large places, for their meats and breadstuffs. It possesses, however, unrivalled privileges for the cod, mackerel, and other fisheries. The county has comparatively little wood, but has many valuable peat meadows, in which, of late years, the cranberry has been successfully cultivated. The county is supplied with an abundance of pure soft water. Formerly large quantities of salt were manufactured on the Cape, which was used in the curing of fish. Of late years this branch of industry has diminished; so that in 1865 the value of salt manufactured in the county was only $52,719.00, while the aggregate value of other articles produced during the same year was six million ninety thousand and twenty-two dollars ($6,090,022), of which nearly two millions and a quarter were derived from the cod and mackerel fisheries,—with which and the coasting-trade almost every family is more or less identified and interested. Barnstable County is noted for its good sailors and men of superior nautical talents, while its women are equally celebrated ‘for their fair complexions and good housewifery.’ [27] Its people are the most homogeneous in the State, never having received a large infusion of new blood. It is not a desirable place for foreign settlement. The county, therefore, retains its old names, and its people their good old ways; yet in no portion of the State will one find a more intelligent and well-bred people, in no community is there a more equal distribution of wealth, or a more genuine feeling of generous but unobtrusive hospitality.

There are but thirteen towns in Barnstable County, one of the largest and most important of which, at the present time, is Provincetown, at the extreme end of the Cape, whose capacious harbor is one of the best on the Atlantic coast. In 1860 the population of the county was 35,990, in 1865 it was 34,489, being a decrease in five years of 1,501. The valuation of the county in 1860 was $12,621,291.00, in 1865 it was $14,276,198.00, showing an increase in five years of $1,654,907.00.

The number of men which Barnstable County furnished for the war was reported by the selectmen of the towns, in 1866, to have been 2,305. This return must have been altogether incorrect: the number could not have been less than thirty-six or thirty-seven hundred, the percentage of men furnished throughout the Commonwealth being about 91 to every 100 inhabitants; and that Barnstable County was not behind any other portion of the State is conclusively shown by the fact, well ascertained and indisputable, that each of its towns filled its contingent of men upon every call of the President, and at the end of the war each was credited with having furnished a surplus over and above every demand, which in the aggregate amounted to three hundred and nine men. The total expenses of the towns on account of the war was $308,985.08. This is exclusive of $90,934.84, which was raised and paid for State aid to soldiers' families during the four years of the war, and which was reimbursed by the State. Total, $399,919.92.

The following is the record of each town in the county:—


Barnstable

Incorporated Sept. 3, 1639. Population in 1860, 5,129; in 1865, 4,913. Valuation in 1860, $2,041,534; in 1865, $2,265,407. [28]

The selectmen in 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, and 1865, were Charles C. Bearse, Ebenezer Bacon, and Joseph R. Hull.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer during the same period was Frederick G. Kelley.

1861. The first legal town-meeting, to act upon matters relating to the war, was held on the 4th of May, at which it was—

Voted, To pay each volunteer belonging to Barnstable, ‘who has enlisted, or may enlist, in the service of the United States, whether upon the land or upon the sea,’ the sum of forty dollars to aid them ‘in fitting for the service.’

Voted, To support the families of those who enlist and are citizens of Barnstable ‘during the whole time the head of the family is actually employed in the service.’

Voted, To appropriate one thousand dollars, ‘to be placed at the disposal of the Governor of the State for the assistance of the troops of the State,’ and that the selectmen notify the Governor ‘at once’ that the money is subject to his order.

1862. On the 21st of July, it was voted to pay a bounty of one hundred dollars to each volunteer who shall enlist in the military service for the term of three years, when mustered in and credited to the quota of the town, and one hundred dollars when he shall be honorably discharged, ‘or to his lawful heirs,’ whether they belong ‘to the town of Barnstable or not.’ It was also voted to pay ten dollars extra ‘to each of the first twenty-four persons who may volunteer from Barnstable.’ The selectmen were authorized to borrow whatever sums of money might be necessary for the payment of these bounties; also five thousand dollars for State aid to the families of volunteers, as provided by act of the Legislature, sec. 1, chapter 66, of the acts of 1862. August 16th, It was voted ‘to pay each volunteer for three years military service one hundred dollars, when mustered in and credited to the quota of Barnstable, and fifty dollars to him, or his legal representatives, at the expiration of the term for which he enlisted.’

The following resolutions were read, and unanimously adopted:— [29]

Resolved, That the citizens of Barnstable fully appreciate the heroic patriotism and noble principle of those of her sons who have enlisted to make up the quota asked for by the President in his call for three hundred thousand volunteers, to put down the present wicked rebellion against the Governmment and Constitution of our country.

Resolved, That we assure those who thus go forth in our behalf that we shall watch with fidelity their every footstep, as true soldiers in the campaign before them; that we have the utmost confidence that their valor will do honor to the town they represent, and the memory of those patriot fathers of ‘76, who went forth from the homes of Barnstable to battle for the independence and nationality of this glorious government.

Resolved, That we pledge our honor as men and citizens to take honorable and tender care of the families of our volunteers whilst they battle for our rights, our liberties, our property, and our honor.

Resolved, That the citizens of this town pledge their ready and most active and vigorous assistance, according to the full measure of our ability, now and hereafter, to the President and Government of the United States, to put down and extinguish for ever this treasonable and most atrocious rebellion against the best government on the face of the earth.

August 28th, The town voted to pay the same bounty, and on the same terms, to volunteers who would enlist for nine months service and be credited to the quota of Barnstable, that was offered to volunteers for three years service by vote of the town passed on the 16th. It also voted ‘that all taxes that may be assessed upon the nine-months volunteers for the year 1863 be remitted to them, and that their families be assisted by this town the same as the families of the three-years volunteers are assisted.’1 September 6th, It was resolved, ‘That we have the utmost confidence in the President of the United States, and that we will give him our cordial support in signing the Emancipation and Confiscation Act at as early a day as he may deem expedient.’ [30]

1864. June 30th, The town voted that all citizens who had enlisted, or might afterwards enlist, ‘who had received a bounty of one hundred and fifty dollars, be paid that amount,’ and to the heirs of those who have died in the service. July 27th, Voted to pay ‘each man in town who has, or who shall, put in a substitute in anticipation of a draft, the sum of one hundred and twenty-five dollars.’

1865. At the annual town-meeting held March 6th, it was voted to authorize the selectmen to pay to each volunteer citizen who has no family or dependant, and therefore not entitled to State aid, the sum of two dollars a week while in the service.

1866. March 5th, An appropriation of one thousand dollars was made for the erection of a soldiers' monument, to which was added $260.80, being the balance of the soldiers' fund in the hands of the selectmen. Walter Chipman, Joseph R. Hall, F. G. Kelley, Henry Goodspeed, Nathaniel Hinckley, Charles C. Bearse, and Freeman H. Jenkins were appointed to locate the monument and arrange for its erection. The monument was erected in that part of Barnstable called Centreville, and was appropriately dedicated July 4, 1866.

Barnstable, according to a return made in 1866 by the selectmen, furnished two hundred and seventy-two men for the war, which is quite inaccurate; for the number of those in the military and naval service properly credited to the town must have been nearly five hundred, as it furnished its full quota upon every call of the President for men, and had a surplus of thirty-five over and above all demands, at the end of the war. Three were commissioned officers in the military service. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid, was thirty-eight thousand five hundred and seventy-four dollars and fifteen cents ($38,574.15).

The amount of money raised by the town, and expended each year of the war in the payment of State aid to the families of volunteers, and which was afterwards refunded by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, $93.60; in 1862, $2,525.57; in 1863, $6,182.23; in 1864, $6,851.53; [31] in 1865, 4,100.00. Total in four years, $19,652.93.

The good work performed by the ladies of Barnstable was very considerable. There are three villages in the town, in each of which there were regular organized societies. We have only brief mention of what was done in two of them. In Barnstable proper, the Ladies' Sanitary Association was formed, immediately ‘after the publication of the circular of the New-England Women's Auxiliary Association was received,’ and continued until the close of the war. Mrs. S. B. Phinny was president, and Miss E. A. Chamberlain was secretary, most of the time. They made 3,153 articles, and $768 were raised in money. Hundreds of yards of bandages were made, boxes of lint, and a large quantity of preserves, &c. The ladies were untiring in their zeal. There was also ‘a Children's Aid Society,’—a branch of the New-England Women's Auxiliary Association. It began in 1862, and continued until the close of the war, of which Miss Cordelia E. Phinny was president. 1,276 articles were made, and $106 were raised in money, by this society of little people.

The Centreville Ladies' Soldiers' Relief Society continued in operation ‘one year ten months and eight days.’ Their receipts were $409.74. They sent two boxes of clothing to the ‘New-England Women's Auxiliary Association and one box to the Christian Commission.’ Of this society Mrs. Margaret Handy was president, and Miss Amanda Crosby secretary. We make the following extract:—

‘When the time arrived that our services were no longer needed, we had considerable money and clothing on hand, which were disposed of in gifts to our returned soldiers, and those who were suffering in consequence of the war, and to associations in aid of the war. From June 1, 1865, to Feb. 7, 1866, we distributed gifts in money to the amount of $248.86.’


Brewster

Incorporated Feb. 19, 1803. Population in 1860, 1,489; in 1865, 1,459. Valuation in 1860, $636,333; in 1865, $801,452. The selectmen in 1861 were Tully Crosby, Zoeth Snow, Jr., Randolphus McLoud; in 1862, Jeremiah [32] Mayo, William Winslow, C. S. Foster; in 1863, Jeremiah Mayo, C. S. Foster, William Winslow; in 1864, Solomon Freeman, Bailey Foster, Strabo Clark; in 1865, Solomon Freeman, Jeremiah Mayo, C. S. Foster.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer during all of these years was Charles S. Foster.

1861. The first town-meeting, to consider matters in relation to the war, was held May 21st, at which it was voted to appropriate five hundred dollars to ‘the Massachusetts Soldiers' Aid Fund.’ A committee of three was appointed ‘to see that the families of all volunteers were comfortably provided for;’ and the treasurer was authorized to borrow money when necessary for the above purposes.

1862. July 21st, A bounty of one hundred and fifty dollars was voted ‘to each volunteer who shall enlist for three years, and be credited to the quota of the town, and fifty dollars additional to those who shall enlist within forty-eight hours.’ A committee was elected to help the selectmen in recruiting volunteers. August 25th, Voted to pay a bounty of one hundred dollars to volunteers enlisting to the credit of the town in the nine months service, and to pay eleven dollars a month to each of their families while in the service.

1863. December 1st, The treasurer was authorized to borrow eleven hundred dollars for recruiting purposes, ‘if it shall be needed.’

1864. At the annual March meeting it was voted that all the business of recruiting ‘be left with the selectmen, and that they be authorized to use any money they may find in the treasury for that purpose.’ March 21st, Voted to raise two thousand dollars for recruiting purposes, ‘if legal.’ June 15th, Voted, to pay a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five dollars to each volunteer who shall enlist for three years, and be credited to the quota of the town; and the treasurer was authorized to borrow the money ‘when needed.’

1865. At the annual March meeting, ‘Voted, to raise three thousand dollars (if needed) for recruiting purposes.’

Brewster furnished one hundred and forty-one men for the war, which was a surplus of seventeen over and above all demands. [33] None of them were commissioned officers in the military service. There were probably some in the navy. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town for war purposes, exclusive of State aid to soldiers' families, was nineteen thousand four hundred and fifty-three dollars and seventy-three cents ($19,453.73). A considerable amount was voluntarily contributed by private citizens.

The amount raised and expended by the town for aid to soldiers' families, and afterwards reimbursed to it by the State, was as follows: In 1861, 00; in 1862, $291.96; in 1863, $1,024.00; in 1864, $1,819.20; in 1865, $1,221.07. Total, $4,356.23.

The ladies of Brewster in 1862 organized a Soldiers' Aid Society, which continued in operation until the close of the war, and did much good.


Chatham

Incorporated June 11, 1712. Population in 1860, 2,710; in 1865, 2,637. Valuation in 1860, $886,157; in 1865, $1,000,543.

The selectmen in 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, and 1865, were Josiah Hardy, Benjamin F. Freeman, Levi Eldridge, Jr.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer during the same years was Josiah Mayo.

1861. Several citizens' meetings were held in Chatham during this year, at which action both by word and deed was taken to place the town in its true position as regards the war; but no formal town-meeting was called, as none was necessary.

1862. On the 22d of July a legal town-meeting was held, at which it was voted to pay a bounty of two hundred dollars to each volunteer who would enlist for three years military service, when mustered in and credited to the quota of the town; also to pay, to assist the family of each volunteer residing in the town, an amount not to exceed eighteen dollars a month.2 August 25th, Another meeting was held, at which it was voted to pay a bounty of one hundred and fifty dollars to each volunteer for nine months service, when credited to the quota of the [34] town, and to pay his family the same amount of assistance as paid to the families of three-years volunteers.

1863. On the 3d of February a town-meeting was held, to consider the action of the selectmen, and the responsibilities they had incurred in behalf of the town. Up to this date they had borrowed eight thousand dollars on their individual notes, which they had expended in the payment of bounties and other necessary expenditures. The town voted unanimously to assume their entire liability, by giving the notes of the town, to run for five years. The same meeting refused to pay a bounty to two men who were residents of another town, although they had been credited to the miltary quota of Chatham. On the 8th of December, Christopher Taylor, 2d, Edmund Flynn, and David H. Crowell were chosen by ballot to aid the selectmen in recruiting volunteers to fill the quota of the town; also voted, ‘that there be a general meeting of the citizens of the town held every Tuesday evening until the 5th of January next, to commence on Tuesday evening next at six o'clock,’ to encourage recruiting, and to consider measures by which to fill the quota of the town.

1864. On the 3d of February the town voted to ‘pay four dollars a month to each person dependent on a volunteer for support, provided the amount to any one family shall not exceed eighteen dollars a month.’

1865. On the 1st of January a large meeting of citizens was held, at which, after discussion, it was voted to raise by voluntary subscription a sufficient sum from which to pay to each volunteer who will enlist in the service of the United States, and be credited to the quota of the town, a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five dollars; and a paper having been prepared, thirty-two hundred and five dollars were subscribed by those present at the meeting, which fully sufficed to fill the quota; and at a legal town-meeting, held on the 6th of April succeeding, the persons advancing the money were reimbursed by the town.

We may as well state here as anywhere that the town in 1866, after the war was over, voted to refund to every citizen the money he had subscribed and paid to furnish volunteers; [35] and also to pay to persons who had furnished substitutes, who were credited to the town, the money they had paid to procure them.

Chatham furnished two hundred and sixty-four men for the war, which was a surplus of thirty-two over and above all demands. Five were commissioned officers. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid, was twenty-seven thousand six hundred and eleven dollars and sixty-nine cents ($27,611.69).

The amount raised and expended by the town during the four years of the war for aid to the families of volunteers, and which was afterwards reimbursed by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, 00; in 1862, $809.59; in 1863, $1,706.80; in 1864, $2,535.00; in 1865, $1,436.03. Total amount, $6,487.42.


Dennis

Incorporated June 19, 1793. Population in 1860, 3,662; in 1865, 3,512. Valuation in 1860, $1,108,054; in 1865, $1,181,399.

The selectmen in 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, and 1865, were Joshua C. Howes, Alvan Small, Elijah Baxter.

The town-clerk during the same years was Isaiah Nickerson. The town-treasurer in 1861, 1862, 1863, and 1864 was Isaiah Nickerson; in 1865, Jonathan Bangs.

1861. There does not appear to have been any action taken by the town in its corporate capacity in relation to the war during this year, although meetings of citizens were held, and every thing was done which the occasion required. Of these citizens' meetings no record appears to have been preserved, or, if there were, we have failed to obtain a copy of it, which we much regret.

1862. A special town-meeting was held July 26th, to act upon war matters; at which a committee of six gentlemen were appointed to act with the selectmen in recruiting volunteers to fill the quota required of the town, under the call of the President for three hundred thousand men for three years military service. The town authorized them to pay a bounty to each [36] recruit of two hundred and fifty dollars, when mustered in and properly credited to the quota of the town; or they could be paid the bounty before being mustered, upon ‘giving satisfactory security to the selectmen that the money would be refunded if the volunteer did not pass an examination and was rejected.’ The treasurer was authorized to borrow money sufficient to meet the expenditure. On the 19th of August another formal meeting was held; and the town voted to pay the same amount of bounty to volunteers for nine months service, three-quarters of the amount to be paid to the recruit when accepted, mustered in, and credited, and the remaining quarter when he was honorably discharged from the service. The treasurer was authorized to borrow five thousand dollars to pay the same.

These appear to have been the most important votes which were passed in relation to the payment of bounties. Other votes for the payment of State aid to the families of the volunteers were passed each year until the end of the war. Although the information received from Dennis is not so full and complete as we have received from many of the other towns, yet the result shows that few towns were more active in the good cause, or came out of the war with a better record.

Dennis reported in 1866 to have furnished two hundred and twenty men for the war, which is considerably below the actual number. Including the men in the navy, Dennis must have furnished about three hundred and seventy men, as at the end of the war the town had filled its quota in every call of the President, and had a surplus of forty-three men over and above all demands. None of the men in the military service were commissioned officers. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid, was twenty-two thousand six hundred and fifty-two dollars and sixty-six cents ($22,652.66).

The amount of money raised and expended by the town during the four years of the war for aid to the families of volunteers, and which was afterwards refunded by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, $32.00; in 1862, $582.63; in 1863, $952.66; in 1864, $1,334.15; in 1865, $912.17. Total amount, $3,813.61.


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Eastham

Incorporated June 2, 1646. Population in 1860, 779; in 1865, 757. Valuation in 1860, $226,795; in 1865, $219,948.

The selectmen during the years 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, and 1865, were Zara Higgins, Prince S. Harding, Jonathan Snow.

The town-clerk during all the years of the war was Herman Doane. The town-treasurer in 1861, 1862, 1863, and 1864, was Herman Doane; in 1865, Josiah M. Cole.

1861. There does not appear to have been any action taken by the town, in its corporate capacity, in relation to the war during this year.

1862. On the 28th of July a special town-meeting was held, to take measures to fill the quota of the town under the recent call of the President for three hundred thousand three-years men; at which it was voted to authorize the payment of a bounty of two hundred and fifty dollars to each volunteer who would enlist and be credited to the town. The selectmen were authorized to borrow one thousand dollars to pay the same. An enlistment paper was opened at the meeting, and four young men of Eastham immediately enrolled their names as volunteers. These filled the quota of the town. The names of the young men were Francis Penmore, Henry Morrison, Peter Higgins, Nathan A. Gill. The meeting then passed the following resolutions—

Resolved, That we cherish an unfaltering attachment to the Union and the Constitution formed by our patriotic fathers, and deeply deplore the cause which has produced such an unhappy alienation between the people of the North and South, which has ripened into a gigantic rebellion and unprecedented civil war.

Resolved, That we highly approve the judicious and patriotic course of the President of the United States in this trying hour, amid the jargon of party warfare that is carried on in the high places of the nation against the wise provisions and requirements of that timehon-ored Constitution; and while he continues to stand firmly on that rock of our country's salvation, we will stand by and maintain him with all the men in our power, in his efforts to restore our divided and distracted country to its honor and peace.

[38]

At a meeting held on the 28th of August, the town voted to pay a bounty of one hundred and sixty dollars to each volunteer for nine months service, when mustered in and credited to the town. Nine young men immediately enlisted and filled the quota of the town. December 5th, Voted, to pay a bounty of one hundred and eighty dollars to each of seven men enlisted in Boston and credited to Eastham.

1863. A special town-meeting was held on the 2d of December, when it was voted ‘that the selectmen use their best endeavors to fill the quota of ten men for this town as soon as possible, within the town or elsewhere.’ The treasurer was authorized to borrow money to pay the expenses.

1864. May 3d, The selectmen were directed to ‘pay to volunteers under any future call a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five dollars.’ This amount was continued to be paid until the end of the war.

Eastham furnished seventy-seven men for the war, which was a surplus of eleven over and above all demands. None were commissioned officers. The total amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid, was three thousand four hundred and seventy-six dollars and fifty-four cents ($3,476.54).

The amount of money raised and expended by the town during the four years of the war for aid to soldiers' families, and afterwards repaid by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, 00; in 1862, $111.63; in 1863, $223.20; in 1864, $198.40; in 1865, $300.00. Total amount, $833.23.


Falmouth

Incorporated June 4, 1686. Population in 1860, 2,456; in 1865, 2,294. Valuation in 1860, $1,323,308; in 1865, $1,375,661.

The selectmen in 1861, 1862, and 1863, were Thomas Lewis, Jr., Prince G. Moore, Silas J. Eldred; in 1864 and 1865, Thomas Lewis, Jr., Prince G. Moore, Zenas Hamblin.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer during all the years of the war was Thomas Lewis, Jr.

1861. The following extract from a letter which we received in 1867 from Thomas Lewis, Jr., chairman of the selectmen, [39] town-clerk and town-treasurer all through the war, in regard to Falmouth, will apply to almost every town in Barnstable County:—

‘At the time of the breaking out of the Rebellion, most of our young men were pursuing their peculiar avocations upon the seas, and most of them on long voyages; nevertheless we were able to fulfil all the requirements of the State and General Governments in furnishing men for the war, and when the struggle was over had the satisfaction of knowing we had furnished a surplus of ten men.’

The first action taken by the town, in its corporate character, was at a special meeting held on the 2d of December (‘after one of our citizens had enlisted in the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment’), at which it was voted to instruct the selectmen to aid the families of those who have, or may hereafter, enlist in the service of the United States.

1862. A special town-meeting was held on the 2d of August, which voted to pay ‘each volunteer citizen of the town, upon his enlisting for three years, a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five dollars, and one hundred dollars in addition when regularly discharged from the service.’ In addition to this bounty of the town, there was raised by voluntary subscription ten dollars to each volunteer, of whom there were twenty-eight who ‘enlisted on the spot.’ Of these, twelve served until the end of the war; ‘the others were killed, died of disease, or were discharged on account of sickness.’ On the 11th of September another special meeting was held, at which the town voted ‘to pay any of its citizens’ a bounty of one hundred dollars upon enlistment for nine months service, and a further sum of one hundred dollars when regularly discharged. ‘Six immediately enlisted, each of whom served his full time.’ October 13th, The selectmen were authorized to enlist men in other places, if a sufficient number could not be obtained in Falmouth; ‘but in no case to pay any higher bounty than that paid to our own citizens.’ December 15th, The town bounty to each volunteer was fixed at two hundred dollars.

1863. A special meeting was held on the 21st of December, when the selectmen were authorized to draw on the towntreasurer [40] ‘for such expenses as may be incurred in procuring the town's quota of volunteers;’ and they were instructed ‘to proceed forthwith to procure the men required.’

1864. April—, The selectmen were directed ‘to procure the number of men required, or which may be required, under any order of the President previous to March 1, 1865.’ Under this vote the selectmen acted until the end of the war.

Falmouth, notwithstanding most of her able-bodied young men were at sea, furnished of her own citizens one hundred and thirty-eight men for the army, and twenty for the navy, making one hundred and fifty-eight of her own people. Nearly one hundred must have been obtained from other places. At the end of the war, Falmouth had a surplus of ten men over and above all demands made upon it. Two were commissioned officers. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid, was twenty thousand one hundred and fifty-four dollars and thirty-five cents ($20,154.35). In addition to this amount, eighteen hundred and fifty-four dollars were raised by private subscription to encourage enlistments, and six hundred and forty-seven dollars for the sick and wounded in hospitals.

The amount of money raised and expended by the town during the four years of the war, for aid to the families of volunteers, and which was afterwards refunded by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, $21.60; in 1862, $751.50; in 1863, $1,371.46; in 1864, $1,450.00; in 1865, $979.34. Total amount, $4,674.20.

The ladies of Falmouth did their full proportion to assist the soldiers in the field and in the hospital. Taking ‘in the estimate of barrels and boxes forwarded by them, in which were clothes and sanitary stores, it is difficult to come to a definite conclusion; but from all that I can learn from those ladies who had the particular charge of these matters, I think it may be safely set down at twelve hundred dollars.’ Mr. Lewis, to whom we are indebted for much of the information in regard to Falmouth, writes:—

‘Although we have no set speeches to record, there was always manifest at our meetings a determined will to do all in our power to [41] bring the Rebellion to an end; and could you have been present at the gatherings of the fair sex, as they so often met to ply their fingers in preparing articles for the comfort and relief of the sick and dying, you would have heard such words of patriotism as flow from no other hearts. There is one case of sacrifice to which I cannot forbear to allude. During the Rebellion, three sons of a very poor citizen of our town enlisted. One was married, and had a family of five little children. The aged and poor parents were dependent upon the other two for their support. All three sons were killed in battle!’


Harwich

Incorporated Sept. 14, 1694. Population in 1860, 3,423; in 1865, 3,540. Valuation in 1860, $841,833; in 1865, $1,025,217.

The selectmen in 1861 were Cyrus Weeks, Thomas Kenrick, Isaiah C. Kelly; in 1862, Benjamin W. Eldridge, Isaiah C. Kelly, Sheldon Crowell; in 1863, Isaiah C. Kelly, Thomas Kendrick, Sheldon Crowell; in 1864, Joseph C. Berry, Danforth S. Steele, Shubeal B. Kelly; in 1865, Danforth S. Steele, Joseph C. Berry, Shubeal B. Kelly.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer during all of these years was William H. Underwood.

1861. The first legal town-meeting, to act upon matters relating to the war, was held on the 10th of May, at which it was voted to raise a company of one hundred men for a Coast Guard; and a committee of five was appointed to confer with the authorities of other towns on the Cape in regard to the same. June 3d, The selectmen were authorized to borrow one thousand dollars ‘for war purposes.’

1862. April 19th, Voted, to pay a bounty of one hundred dollars to each volunteer who enlists in the military service for three years, and is credited to the town. July 26th, The bounty was raised to two hundred dollars, and the selectmen were directed ‘to fill the quota of the town as soon as possible.’ August 19th, Voted, to pay volunteers for nine months service a bounty of one hundred and fifty dollars, which, on September 11th, was increased fifty dollars; and Valentine Doane, Jr., and Danforth S. Steele were appointed recruiting officers. The treasurer was authorized to borrow money.

1863. August 11th, Voted, to pay drafted men a bounty of [42] one hundred and fifty dollars. The treasurer was authorized to borrow ten thousand dollars to pay bounties and expenses of recruiting. November 30th, Twenty-five hundred dollars were authorized to be borrowed ‘to pay charges and assist in recruiting fifty men.’

1864. March 16th, The selectmen were directed to pay each volunteer belonging to that town one hundred dollars, who has not already received a bounty; also to borrow money to pay State aid to the families of soldiers. June 21st, Voted, that to each drafted man who furnished a substitute there be paid not exceeding three hundred dollars, if he was credited to fill the quota of the town. Several other meetings were held during the year, at which means were taken to recruit men and furnish State aid for the families of soldiers.

1865. November 7th, Voted, ‘that the selectmen be authorized to treat all widows in town, whose husbands have fallen in the war, with due and especial benevolence; and those who have no house, to see that they have a home outside of the almshouse.’

Harwich furnished three hundred and forty-one men for the war, which was a surplus of twenty-nine over and above all demands. Four were commissioned officers. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid to soldiers' families, was forty-two thousand five hundred and sixty dollars and two cents ($42,560.02).

The amount raised and expended by the town for aid to the families of soldiers, and afterwards repaid by the State, was as follows: In 1861, 00; in 1862, $736.38; in 1863, $1,276.69; in 1864, $5,159.92; in 1865, $4,374.00. Total in four years, $11,462.99.

The ladies of Harwich ‘did a great deal for the soldiers all through the war,’ and especially those attached to the several religious societies,—the ministers acting as shipping agents. Many meetings were held, at which under-clothing, lint, bandages, and other necessary articles, were made, which were sent to the army hospitals.


[43]

Orleans

Incorporated March 3, 1797. Population in 1860, 1,678; in 1865, 1,586. Valuation in 1860, $487,914; in 1865, $558,858.

The selectmen in 1861 were Joseph Cummings, Calvin Snow, George W. Cummings; in 1862 and 1863, Jesse C. Snow, John Kenrick, Edmund Crosby; in 1864 and 1865, John Kenrick, Truman Doane, Ira Mayo.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer in 1861, 1862, and 1863, was Thomas Higgins; in 1864 and 1865, Freeman Mayo.

1861. The first legal town-meeting, to consider matters relating to the war, was held on the 27th of May, at which the following resolutions were read, and unanimously adopted:—

Resolved, That, as true and loyal citizens of the United States, we will cherish inviolate the Union and the Constitution and the enforcement of the laws, believing them to be the only safe palladium of our liberties, under which as a nation we have been favored with unexampled prosperity.

Resolved, That the active measures now being made by the National Administration, in all departments, for the successful crushing out of the unnatural rebellion on the part of the so-called Southern Confederacy, meets with our warmest approbation, and should have the aid and encouragement of every true lover of his country, without regard to party proclivities.

Resolved, That as, in the language of Jefferson, ‘the price of Liberty is eternal vigilance,’ it becomes the sacred duty of every loyal citizen, in this hour of his country's peril, to frown down with abhorrence any attempt to aid and abet treason, whether at home or abroad, expressed or implied; and that we will use our best endeavors to give traitors that punishment which they so justly deserve.

Resolved, That the patriotic stand taken by Massachusetts in responding with alacrity to the requirements of the President for troops to defend the national capital is worthy of all praise, and is an earnest of that spirit which has ever characterized the citizens of the old Bay State,—in times of danger and alarm to manfully uphold and defend the glorious stripes and stars even unto death.

The resolutions having been adopted, the town authorized the selectmen to borrow one thousand dollars for the payment of State aid to the families of volunteers, as provided by the act recently passed by the Legislature in extra session. [44]

1862. A special town-meeting, to act upon matters relating to the war, was held on the 19th of July. At this meeting ‘a secesh flag,’ taken at the capture of New Orleans, was presented to the town by Captain Josiah Snow, formerly a citizen of Orleans. The town then voted to pay each of its citizens who would enlist in the military service of the United States, and be credited to the quota of the town, a bounty of one hundred and fifty dollars; ‘and to pay town aid of one dollar a week to each parent, wife, or child of every volunteer so enlisting.’

1863. No formal town-meeting to act upon matters connected with the Rebellion appears to have been held during this year, although the greatest activity prevailed among the citizens in recruiting volunteers, and giving proper assistance to the soldiers' families.

1864. At a meeting held on the 25th of April, the town voted ‘to raise the sum of one hundred and twenty-five dollars for each and every one of its quota called for by the President, Oct. 17, 1863, and Feb. 1, 1864; and that the sum be expended in refunding money paid by individual subscription, in procuring this town's proportion of troops called for at the aforesaid dates.’ Two other meetings were held during this year, but no change was made in the manner of recruiting men or in the payment of bounties.

1865. At the meeting held on the 6th of March, the following vote was passed:--

Voted, ‘To pay one hundred and twenty-five dollars each for fourteen men recruited as part of the quota of Orleans, under the call for troops, Dec. 17, 1864, and to deposit one thousand dollars with the State treasurer to secure a portion of the men recruited from the rebel States.’

The amount of money raised by private subscription, during the four years of the war, amounted in the aggregate to eighteen thousand three hundred and eleven dollars and twenty-two cents for the enlistment of seventy-six men, which was subsequently refunded by vote of the town, at the rate of one hundred and twenty-five dollars for each of the men recruited. [45]

Orleans furnished one hundred and seventy-seven men for the war, which was a surplus of twenty-nine over and above all demands. Three were commissioned officers. The amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid, was eighteen thousand four hundred and ninety-seven dollars and twenty cents ($18,497.20).

The amount raised and expended by the town for State aid to soldiers' families during the four years of the war, but which was afterwards refunded by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, $12.00; in 1862, $336.96; in 1863, $1,109.77; in 1864, $1,778.35; in 1865, $1,093.20. Total amount, $4,365.28.

The ladies of Orleans formed ‘a Soldiers' Aid Society in September, 1862, which continued in active operation until April, 1865. They held about seventy meetings, to prepare articles for the soldiers. They raised, in money, $621.08,’ which was increased fourfold by being judiciously expended for material, that was made into articles of clothing. Many boxes and barrels were filled with their contributions, ‘some of which were sent to the soldiers in camp, some to the sick and wounded in hospitals, and some to the prisoners in Libby Prison.’ As a sample of each, we give the contents of one, sent Oct. 14, 1862, to the Sanitary Commission: 2 pillows, 1 under-shirt, 21 towels, 4 handkerchiefs, 21 shirts, 18 do., 53 pillow-cases, 3 boxes of lint, 1 bundle of pieces, 7 prs. slippers, 3 prs. drawers, 3 prs. socks, 368 yards bandages, 9 dozen stump bandages, 3 dozen hand do., 13 dozen comforters, ‘a few pamphlets,’ 10 sheets, 24 pillow-cases, 53 towels, 23 cotton shirts, 75 pillows, 5 vests, 3 frock coats, 11 flannel under-shirts, 6 packages (individuals), 1 bedquilt, 3 prs. drawers, 3 prs. slippers, 2 prs. pants, 7 prs. mittens, 29 prs. socks, 28 prs. flannel drawers, 1 pr. boots, 38 handkerchiefs, 51 white do., 25 colored do.

The society numbered one hundred and fifty-one members. The journal of their proceedings closes with the following words:—

‘The meeting adjourns to meet again whenever the needs of suffering soldiers should demand,—we Hope never again.’


[46]

Provincetown

Incorporated June 14, 1727. Population in 1860, 3,206; in 1865, 3,475. Valuation in 1860, $1,263,695; in 1865, $1,576,145.

The selectmen in 1861, 1862, and 1863, were Robert Soper, Abraham Chapman, Simeon S. Gifford; in 1864, Simeon S. Gifford, Silas S. Young, Lysander S. Paine; in 1865, Silas S. Young, Simeon S. Gifford, Alexander Manuel.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer during all the years of the war was Elisha Dyer.

1861. The first legal town-meeting, to act upon matters relating to the war, was held on the 2d of May, at which it was voted to pay a sum of twenty dollars to every able-bodied man who should volunteer from Provincetown in either the army or navy, to be paid on his departure from the town to join for service; also ‘the sum of ten dollars a month for single men, and men having wives only, and fifteen dollars a month to men having families, while in the service, which pay shall begin at the time his government pay begins.’ At the same meeting the following preamble and resolutions were read and adopted:—

Whereas it has pleased God to give us the grandest country on the globe, with the best government, as established by our fathers, ever inhabited by mortals; and as it is satisfactorily ascertained that a long-cherished scheme has been entertained, by miserable miscreants, to subvert this government to the most dastardly purposes of iniquity, destroying the Union and the Constitution; and as we regard this as an unprovoked, barbarous, and sacrilegious attack upon the dearest rights and interests of the American people, we denounce it as a villanous attempt to subvert laws and to destroy a Constitution which we reverence, and which they have sworn to support: we therefore

Resolve, That the loss of our liberty and national honor would be a greater calamity than war, the loss of property, or of life itself.

Resolved, That it is the duty of the Executive to bring the whole power of the Government to crush out secession and rebellion, and to put to an efficient end their disturbances; and that no favor or compromise should be suffered, but upon the basis of unqualified submission of those in rebellion.

Resolved, That we pledge to the National and State Governments a hearty support of men and means, by which these ends may be accomplished. [47]

Resolved, That, if the wanton cruelties of privateering are let loose upon our seamen, it will become our duty vigorously to defend our rights and fearlessly to assail our foe, until, under our flag of the stars and stripes, our vessels are allowed, unmolested, to float in every sea.

Other votes were passed having for their object home defence, which the exposed position of the town appeared to render desirable. A committee of six were also appointed to assist in recruiting.

1862. At a meeting held on the 22d of July, it was voted to raise sixteen hundred dollars, by taxation, ‘to pay bounties to persons who have become volunteer soldiers of the United States;’ also to raise and pay to volunteers having families in Provincetown ‘a sum of money, in addition to that the town may be reimbursed from the treasury of the Commonwealth for aid to families, equal in amount to that which is reimbursed; and to volunteers who have not families or persons dependent on them the sum of fifty dollars a year during their term of service.’ August 27th, The town voted ‘to assume the liability of those individuals who have subscribed money for the payment of bounties to volunteers for nine months military service;’ also voted to pay each volunteer for nine months service, when mustered in and credited to the quota of the town, a bounty of two hundred dollars; also, to pay their families, and to those who have none, fifty dollars additional in money. The treasurer was authorized to borrow six thousand dollars for these purposes.

1863. At a legal town-meeting held on the 20th of July, the selectmen and John Nickerson were appointed to procure arms from the State or the National Government, and to do all such acts as may be necessary for the defence and protection of the town against the attacks of the enemy. Two thousand dollars were placed at the disposal of the committee. September 3d, The town appropriated $5,469.82 for payment of soldiers' bounties, in compliance with the 9th section of an act approved April 29, 1863; also voted, that the same provision be made in aid of the families of men who may be drafted as is now paid to the families of volunteers. [48]

1864. February 8th, The town voted to assume the payment of money contributed by individuals to fill the quota of the town, under the last call of the President, ‘provided any act of the Legislature legalizes the same.’ April 12th, An act having been passed, the town voted to reimburse to individuals the money they had advanced, provided that the amount should not exceed one hundred and twenty-five dollars for each volunteer enlisted.

Provincetown must have furnished for the army and navy about three hundred and fifty men, although the selectmen returned, in 1866, only two hundred and forty-seven; as at the end of the war the town had filled its quota on every call of the President, and had a surplus of fifty-seven men over and above all demands. Three were commissioned officers in the military service. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid reimbursed by the Commonwealth, was thirty-seven thousand four hundred and fifty-two dollars ($37,452.00).

The amount of money raised and expended for State aid during the four years of the war, and which was afterwards reimbursed by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, $57.54; in 1862, $327.98; in 1863, $775.21; in 1864, $3,070.59; in 1865, $3,136.92. Total amount reimbursed, $7,368.24. It will be observed, however, that Provincetown paid to the families of volunteers double the amount reimbursed by the State.

The ladies of Provincetown organized a Soldiers' Aid Society and a ‘Soldiers' Relief Society’ in 1862. During the war, the first-named furnished clothing and other articles for the soldiers to the value of $1,226.75, and the last-named contributed to the value of $1,064.90. Most of the articles were sent to the Sanitary and Christian Commissions, though a part was sent direct to Lieutenant-Colonel Ryder, a citizen of Provincetown, of the Thirty-third Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers.

Provincetown, which is situated on the extreme end of Cape Cod, was one of the most exposed places on the coast. During the war, earth-works were erected by the Government, which were garrisoned by a company of volunteers.


[49]

Sandwich

Incorporated Sept. 3, 1639. Population in 1860, 4,479; in 1865, 4,105. Valuation in 1860, $1,644,433; in 1865, $1,699,105.

The selectmen in 1861, 1862, and 1863, were Mason White, Seth B. Wing, Isaiah Fish; in 1864, H. G. O. Ellis, Seth B. Wing, Isaiah Fish; in 1865, H. G. O. Ellis, Paul Wing, Isaiah Fish.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer in 1861, 1862, and 1863, was David C. Freeman; from June, 1863, and during 1864 and 1865, David C. Percival.

The first legal town-meeting, to act upon matters relating to the war, was held on the 11th of May;3at which Messrs. Theodore Kern, Jonathan Leonard, Charles Southack, Benjamin F. Brown, and Charles Dillingham were chosen a committee, ‘to see what action the town should take in regard to war matters.’ The committee reported as follows:—

First, That the treasurer of the town be authorized, with the assent and at the discretion of the selectmen, to borrow a sum not exceeding four thousand dollars, ‘in sums as shall be needed’ for the benefit of the families of those in this town who may enlist ‘in the service of the Government, in defence of our constitutional liberties.’ Second, That the money so borrowed shall be disbursed by the selectmen ‘in the following manner:’ ‘A man that leaves a wife shall receive two dollars a week; a wife and child, three dollars a week; and fifty cents a week for each additional child under fourteen years of age.’ [50] Third, That the selectmen be authorized and instructed to assist such families as are dependent upon any volunteer for their support, to whom in their judgment the above rule does not apply. Fourth, That the town furnish the military company of Sandwich, ‘when called for and officially accepted, a suitable uniform.’

The report was accepted. It was then voted that all citizens of Sandwich ‘volunteering in companies in other towns, having families, and also all persons from other towns volunteering in the Sandwich company, having families, be included in the above appropriation; provided, there shall not be an appropriation for them by the towns from which they came, or in which our citizens have volunteered.’ Voted, that the families of volunteers ‘receive their money once in two weeks;’ also voted, ‘to raise five hundred dollars to defray the expense of purchasing uniforms for the Sandwich company.’ At a special meeting held on the 6th of July, it was voted ‘to ratify and continue the above action of the town as allowed by act of May 23d, 1861.’

1862. At the annual town-meeting held March 3d, a sufficient sum of money was appropriated to continue the pay of State aid to the families of volunteers during the year. A special town-meeting was held on the 2d of August, at which it was voted to pay a bounty of one hundred dollars to each volunteer who enlists for three years military service and is mustered in and credited to the quota of the town, and fifty dollars additional to each man who shall enlist and be credited within seven days. Another meeting was held on the 23d of December, at which the selectmen were authorized to appoint persons to assist them in recruiting volunteers, and extending the amount of bounty to each volunteer to one hundred and fifty dollars. December 9th, The town voted to enlist volunteers for three years service and not for nine months, and to pay to each volunteer for that term a bounty of two hundred dollars.

1863. Several ‘war-meetings’ were held during this year: recruiting, the payment of bounties to volunteers, and aid to their families were continued; but no special action was taken by the town, in its corporate capacity, in relation to the war. [51]

1864. A legal town-meeting was held on the 9th of April, at which seventy-eight hundred dollars were appropriated ‘to fill the quotas of the town’ under the calls of the President for men, Oct. 17, 1863, and Feb. 1, 1864.

Mr. Colly, the town-clerk, writes:—

‘I have sent you all the votes of importance relating to the war. Many other votes were passed, and much excitement existed during these years of trial; but they were so similar to the within, that to repeat them would be useless.’

Sandwich must have furnished for the army and navy about four hundred men, although the return made by the selectmen in 1866 gives the number of two hundred and ninety-two. At the end of the war, after having filled its quota upon every call of the President for volunteers, Sandwich had a surplus of two, over and above all demands. Twelve were commissioned officers in the military service, the most distinguished of whom was Charles Chipman, Major of the Twenty-ninth Massachusetts regiment, who was mortally wounded Aug. 7, 1864, and died the next day. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid, was thirty-three thousand and eighty-one dollars and ninety-nine cents ($33,081.99).

The amount raised and expended by the town during the four years of the war, for aid to the families of volunteers, and afterwards repaid by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, $1,852.71; in 1862, $5,018.31; in 1863, $5,742.63; in 1864, $4,874.91; in 1865, $2,450.00. Total amount in four years, $19,938.56.

The ladies of Sandwich ‘were actively engaged in their part of the work, but am unable to give you details of the matter.’


Truro

Incorporated July 16, 1709. Population in 1860, 1,583; in 1865, 1,448. Valuation in 1860, $381,429; in 1865, $361,717.

The selectmen in 1861 and 1862 were Solomon Davis, William T. Newcomb, Asa Sellew; in 1863, Abraham C. Small, Solomon Davis, Amasa Paine; in 1864, John Kenny, James [52] Collins, Nathan K. Whorf; in 1865, John Kenny, James Collins, Sears Rich.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer during all of these years was Samuel C. Paine.

1861. No action appears to have been taken by the town, in its corporate character, during this year in regard to matters relating to the war.

1862. At a legal town-meeting held on the 25th of July, the following resolution was adopted by a unanimous vote:—

Resolved, That there be allowed and paid by the town to each of the dependants of the four volunteers who have enlisted to make up the quota of Truro, the sum of one dollar a week, in addition to the sum allowed by the State, so long as the men are in the service of the United States; provided it shall not exceed the sum of twelve dollars a month for the dependants of any one volunteer.

The selectmen were authorized to draw ‘orders on the town treasury for the sum of one hundred dollars, to be paid to each and any to the number of four of the inhabitants of Truro, who, as the quota of said town, may volunteer and be duly mustered into the volunteer service of the United States.’ August 30th, Voted, that there be paid ‘to each single man’ the sum of two hundred dollars, who shall volunteer to make up the quota of nine-months men; ‘and to each married man who shall thus volunteer the sum of one hundred dollars; and to the dependants of said married man an additional sum equal to that granted by the State.’ December 2d, Voted, ‘that the town of Truro make all the effort that is in its power to raise volunteers to fill its quota of nine-months men for the military service of the United States,’ and that Frederick A. Gross, Amasa Paine, and A. H. Newton ‘be a committee to draft some plan for raising the aforesaid volunteers.’ This committee reported that the selectmen be authorized to offer a bounty of two hundred dollars to any of the citizens of the town who would volunteer to make up said quota, and in case they fail to procure the required number within a reasonable time, then they may use their own discretion in obtaining them elsewhere. The report was accepted. ‘Voted, that we, as a town, disapprove of a draft.’ [53]

1863. February 4th, The following resolutions were adopted:—

Resolved, At this town-meeting, that we do take means and measures to bring home the remains of Edward Winslow, one of our soldiers who went forth in the defence of his country and to maintain one of the best governments on earth.

Resolved, That the selectmen be instructed to cause the remains of Edward Winslow to be removed to this town at the town's expense.

It was also voted to pay the widow and orphan children of Edward Winslow a gratuity of one hundred dollars. April 6th, ‘Voted, that the town assume the responsibility that those persons took upon themselves, of paying a bounty to Samuel Knowles and Hezekiah P. Hughes, in July last, as volunteers.’ August 7th, Voted, to pay the same State aid to the families of men who may be drafted ‘and actually enter the service of the United States as has been furnished to the families of volunteers.’ December 11th, A committee of twenty-five was chosen to assist the selectmen in recruiting volunteers to fill the quota of the town; also voted, ‘to sanction the doings of the selectmen in using all discretionary means in their power for raising volunteers, and that the town be responsible for their compensation.’

1864. February 4th, Voted, ‘to allow town aid to the dependants of volunteers who have enlisted in our town under the call of the President, Oct. 17, 1863, in amount to what is received by them for State aid; also to the widows, like town aid.’4 April 25th, The selectmen were authorized to pay a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five dollars to each volunteer who shall enlist prior to March 1, 1865, for three years, and be credited to the town.

Truro furnished one hundred and forty-four men for the war, which was a surplus of fourteen over and above all demands. One was a commissioned officer. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, [54] exclusive of State aid to soldiers' families, was four thousand seven hundred and eighty-six dollars and ten cents ($4,786.10). In addition to this sum, four thousand dollars were contributed by private citizens of their own means to pay bounties and encourage recruiting.

The amount of money raised for the payment of aid to soldiers' families, and afterwards refunded by the State, was as follows: In 1861, $6.00; in 1862, $383.46; in 1863, $877.96; in 1864, $802.80; in 1865, $258.58. Total amount in four years, $2,328.81.


Wellfleet

Incorporated June 16, 1763. Population in 1860, 2,322; in 1865, 2,298. Valuation in 1860, $617,596; in 1865, $700,165.

The selectmen from February, 1861, to February, 1864, were Edward Hopkins, Robert G. Paine, Jeremiah Hawes. In 1864, Mr. Hawes retired from office; and Jonathan Chipman was elected in his place, who with the others remained in office until February, 1865.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer during all the years of the war was Noah Swett.

1861. Several members of the Third Regiment Massachusetts Militia, which left the State April 17th and arrived at Fortress Monroe, Va., on the 20th, belonged to Wellfleet. On The—of May, a meeting was held, at which a vigilance committee was appointed; and a vote was passed to request the Governor to furnish arms for a military company then being organized in the town.5 June 3d, The town appropriated seven hundred dollars, subject to the order of the Governor, ‘to sustain the credit of the State,’ and three hundred dollars ‘for the benefit of Wellfleet soldiers then at the front.’

1862. July, Voted, to pay a bounty of one hundred dollars to each volunteer for three years service, when mustered in and credited to the quota of the town, and aid not to exceed twelve dollars a month to each of their families. August 14th, Voted, to pay a bounty of two hundred dollars to each of seven [55] men who will enlist for three years to complete the quota of the town.

1863. November 24th, A committee to recruit volunteers to fill the quota of the town under the pending call of the President was elected, and twenty-five hundred dollars were appropriated to pay the expenses.

1864. April 16th, The bounty to volunteers for three years service was fixed at one hundred and twenty-five dollars, and the treasurer was authorized to borrow money to pay the same. Several other meetings were held, at which money was raised for war purposes, and measures adopted to fill the contingent of the town.

Wellfleet furnished two hundred and twenty-one men for the war, which was a surplus of twenty-five over and above all demands. None were commissioned officers in the military service. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of State aid to soldiers' families, was eighteen thousand three hundred and twenty-four dollars and sixty-seven cents ($18,324.67). Mr. Swett, the town-clerk, wrote to us, ‘that there was contributed from public and private sources about twenty thousand dollars for the prosecution of the war. Many of the older citizens procured substitutes to represent them in the field.’

The amount of money raised and expended by the town for State aid to the families of soldiers, and reimbursed by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, $27.28; in 1862, $271.25; in 1863, $161.00; in 1864, $297.20; in 1865, $382.00. Total in four years, $1,138.73.

The ladies of Wellfleet established a Soldiers' Aid Society early in the war, to work for the sick and wounded in hospitals. At the end of the war they had an unexpended balance in their treasury, which was given in aid of erecting ‘a beautiful marble monument to the men of Wellfleet who had died in defence of their country in the military and naval service.’


Yarmouth

Incorporated Sept. 3, 1639. Population in 1860, 2,752; in 1865, 2,465. Valuation in 1860, $1,162,120; in 1865, $1,440,641. [56]

The selectmen in 1861 were Elisha Taylor, Thatcher Taylor, Zadock Crowell; in 1862 and 1863, the same; in 1864, Zadock Crowell, Elisha Taylor, Samuel Matthews; 1865, Samuel Matthews, Braddock Matthews, Zadock Crowell.

The town-clerk and town-treasurer from 1844, and all through the Rebellion to the present time, was William P. Davis.

1861. The first legal town-meeting, to consider matters relating to the Rebellion, was held on the 2d of May; at which the following resolutions were presented by Charles F. Swift, and unanimously adopted:—

Resolved, 1st, That we feel duly mindful of the sacrifices that were made by our fathers to establish the Constitution, and perpetuate the Union of the States, and that we remember with especial pride and pleasure the patriotic and efficient part taken by this ancient town in the great struggle which resulted in the formation of our existing institutions of government.

2d, That, as citizens of Yarmouth, in common with patriotic men everywhere in the country, we feel a profound interest in the struggle now convulsing the land; that our earnest sympathies are entirely with the administration in its efforts to sustain the Government, and defend the flag of the nation; and that, as in days of yore, we are ready to contribute our personal efforts and material aid to uphold and maintain the national honor untarnished by sea and land.

3d, That, inasmuch as the head of the rebel organization of the South has indicated his design to send out upon the ocean piratical crafts for the purposes of spoliation and plunder upon the commerce of the country, thus perilling the lives and property of those who follow the seas for a livelihood, it is especially incumbent upon the citizens of this community, who have so much at stake, to lend efficient and cheerful aid in bringing these pests of the ocean to condign punishment; and we hereby recommend that the best energies of our people be especially directed to strengthening the maritime arm of our national service, to which their pursuits and training so peculiarly fit them to lend efficiency and strength.

The town voted to give each citizen who should enlist, either in the army or navy, twenty-five dollars a month while in service; and five dollars additional to his wife, if he has one, and three dollars additional to each child under fifteen years of age. [57] Three thousand dollars was voted to equip each volunteer who should enlist in the military service.6

1862. July 3d, Frederick Dunbar, Matthew C. Hallet, N. C. Fowler, E. B. Pemler, Isaiah Sherman, and Theodore Drew were appointed to procure enlistments, and to pay each volunteer for three years service a bounty of one hundred dollars when mustered in, and one hundred dollars when honorably discharged, and a further sum of fifteen dollars upon his enlisting. The treasurer was authorized to borrow not exceeding thirty-five hundred dollars ‘for the foregoing purposes.’ Seven persons immediately enlisted. August 14th, Voted, to pay a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five dollars to each volunteer enlisting to the credit of the town for nine months service. The treasurer was authorized to borrow money. December 4th, The selectmen were authorized to pay a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five dollars to each volunteer enlisting to the credit of the town, ‘and more if necessary.’ The treasurer was authorized to borrow money to pay bounties.

1863. December 1st, The town chose Nathaniel C. Fowler, Oliver Gorham, and David Matthews to co-operate with the selectmen in raising the town's quota of volunteers under the late call of the President for more men. The selectmen were authorized to draw upon the town-treasurer ‘for such reasonable sums as they shall deem necessary for recruiting purposes.’ December 10th, Freeman Howes was added to the above committee.

1864. April 22d, Voted, to raise six thousand dollars, ‘to pay each recruit who enlisted to fill the quota of the town under the last two calls of the President one hundred and twenty-five dollars each.’ One thousand dollars was also voted to pay bounties to men who had enlisted to the credit of the town and had received no bounty. The treasurer was authorized to borrow money to procure volunteers ‘under any call which the President might issue.’ August 6th, The selectmen were authorized to deposit fifteen hundred dollars with the State treasurer ‘to procure recruits.’ December 19th, Voted, that the selectmen [58] be authorized to procure recruits ‘in anticipation of a call for five hundred thousand men.’

Yarmouth must have furnished about two hundred and fifty men for the war, which was a surplus of five over and above all demands, none of whom were commissioned officers in the military service. There were fifteen who were volunteer officers in the navy, and three of the principal pilots on the South-Carolina coast were citizens of Yarmouth. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town for war purposes, exclusive of State aid to soldiers' families, was seventeen thousand and seventeen dollars ($17,017). This does not include $3,592.10, voluntarily contributed by private citizens to pay bounties.

The amount of money raised and expended by the town for aid to soldiers' families, and afterwards reimbursed by the Commonwealth, was as follows: In 1861, 00; in 1862, $506.43; in 1863, $1,475.04; in 1864, $1,309.93; in 1865, $1,223.31. Total in four years, $4,514.71.

1 The town record says, ‘This meeting was the largest, and decidedly the most enthusiastic, of any one that has been held. It was enlivened by the singing of several patriotic pieces. Full one-third of the audience were ladies, who have manifested a considerable interest in this movement from the start.’

2 This was six dollars more per month than the State would reimburse.

3 It is proper to state that a public meeting was held in April in the Town Hall, notice of which had been given by posters and the ringing of church-bells, an account of which we find in the ‘Sandwich Republican’ of April, 1861. ‘Several gentlemen made speeches, among whom was Major S. B. Phinny, editor of the “Barnstable patriot,” a democratic paper. He was frequently interrupted by the spontaneous and hearty applause of the audience whenever any allusion was made to our Flag, the Constitution, and the Union. On motion of Theodore Kern, Esq., it was voted that the sum of $20 be immediately raised by subscription, as a bounty for each man who would enlist in the campaign. Six hundred and twenty dollars were pledged in the course of the evening in sums varying from $5 to $70,—Major Phinny contributing the seventy dollars, and promising a stand of colors to the company when formed.’ The Sandwich company was formed, and was among the first three-years companies that went to the war.

4 This vote was in effect to give aid to the families of volunteers in twice the amount that was allowed by law and reimbursed to the towns by the State. It was a literal voluntary gratuity by the town.

5 At this time a large proportion of the young men belonging to Wellfleet were engaged in sea service.

6 It was subsequently ascertained that the town had no authority to raise money for the purposes mentioned, and the selectmen declined to act thereon.

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