with
permission of the Autor Larry A. Reid to include the
following:
NATHANIEL EELLS AT THE
BATTLE OF
BUNKER HILL
And
THE SIEGE
OF BOSTON
1775 -
1776
INTRODUCTION
PRELUDE
TO BATTLE
French
and Indian War
Lexington
and Concord
Siege of
Boston
Battle of
Bunker Hill
AMERICAN
UNITS AND COMMANDERS
BRITISH
UNITS AND COMMANDERS
LONG TERM
EFFECTS
THE LIFE
AND TIMES OF NATHANIEL EELLS
TIME LINE
OF THE LIFE OF NATHANIEL EELLS
INTRODUCTION
This is a story
about Nathaniel Eells and the part he played in the founding of our
country. Nathaniel responded to the alarm of April 18, 1775 which was
precipitated by the British march to Lexington and Concord,
Massachusetts to seize arms and ammunition stored there by the
colonists. He also participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill and the
siege of Boston 1775 &endash; 1776. Thus Nathaniel was a patriot
from the very outbreak of the American War for Independence,
although at this time independence was the farthest thing from his
mind and the minds of his fellow colonists. The British regarded them
as Rebels, and Rebels they would always be. Technically speaking,
they ceased being Rebels on July 4, 1776 when the 13 Colonies
declared their independence from Great Britain. The British, of
course, did not recognize this independence until the signing of the
Treaty of Paris in 1783 at the conclusion of the
war.
You may ask why
the interest in Nathaniel. He is my 4th Great Grandfather in-Law, (if
there is such a thing). In other words he is my wife's 4th Great
Grandfather. Marty traces her descendency from Nathaniel through her
mother's side of the family. For those not familiar with her family
tree I have enclosed a Direct Descendant's chart of Nathaniel Eells
which positions Marty in the Eells family.
I would like to
take this opportunity to thank many people who have helped me in
preparing this paper. Firstly my wife who is always my inspiration
and encourages (suggests that I) me to use my time wisely. Pat
Blackler who helped in researching many of the events, people and
sources I have used and Barbara Spain for her excellent work in a
paper on the ownership and occupancy of the "House At 40 Onondaga
Street". Holly Coles was immensely helpful in providing
genealogical information.
*
BUNKER
HILL
The dawn of 17
June 1775 came early. It's always early when you have "Lots of things
to do and little time to do it in." Officers are barking orders to
their men. There is confusion everywhere. Pvt. Nathaniel Eells is
not even sure where he is on the battlefield and he has lost contact
with his brother Daniel. They are both volunteers in the 3rd
Scituate Company of Minutemen from nearby Scituate, Massachusetts.
The Scituate Minutemen have responded to the alarm of 18 April, 1775,
and after halting the British attempt to confiscate arms and
munitions at Concord and Lexington, they harassed the British back
into Boston proper and have them penned up in the city. As part of
their siege of Boston, the Rebels decide to take the high ground on
the Charleston Peninsula1. At the moment Nathaniel was not concerned
about the politics of the situation but had his own problems. He has
worked long and hard during the night to do his part in making the
fortifications on Breeds Hill well and strong. They will be put to
good use if and when the British attack. He didn't have long to
wait. Just then the British Frigate Lively, at anchor in Boston
Harbor, opened up with a salvo of 18 pound shot trained on the Rebel
positions on Breeds Hill, as well as those on Bunker
Hill2.
Nathaniel studied
the officers. Many were as new to warfare as he was, but some were
real veterans having served King and Country in what the colonists
had always referred to as the French and Indian War which ended a
mere 12 years previous. In that war the colonist fought along side
the mother country against the savage and cruel Indians on the
western fringes of the colonies from Maine to Florida and their
French allies. Many of our colonial militia units were engaged in
combat during the nine years of the war from 1754 to 1763. It started
when that young upstart Virginian, George Washington, attacked and
killed a French Diplomat, Joseph Caulon de Villiers, Sieur de
Jumonville, at Fort Necessity (near modern day Uniontown,
Pennsylvania) on May 28, 17543. Although according to our western
frontiersmen it was hard to tell just when the war started, and they
question if it was ever over, given the nature of Indian hostilities.
They say Indian warfare is continual and ongoing, interrupted with
periods of relative calm until trouble flares up again. We now had
colonists settled well beyond the Proclamation line4 established by
the King and the Parliament after the War was officially over in
1763. Among these settlers was the famous Daniel Boone and his band
of North Carolinians in the Kentucky frontier. The Proclamation gave
the land west of the Appalachian Mountains to the Indians for their
hunting grounds. Colonists who were already settled in this area
were to return to the eastern side of the Appalachians, and if they
did not do so voluntarily they could be forced to do so by the
crown. The territory given to the Indians was not to be a part of
any colony, and the colonists could not buy or trade for land in that
area. This made a boundary limiting the colonists to the east side of
the Appalachians. I wonder if King George III realized how much
territory he was giving the Indians.
Nathaniel himself
was curiously drawn by the tall tales of the frontiersmen to the wild
and untamed western regions with it's promise of free land for the
taking. Still he would have to contend with the savages, the
wildlife and the ravages of Mother Nature. Just then he was jolted
back into the reality of Breed's Hill and his present dangers as
another 18 pounder impacts with the newly constructed fortifications.
This bombardment was more intense now than the earlier shelling, and
soon the British brought some 40 cannons to bear on the Rebel
fortifications from the Frigates and Men of War in the harbor, as
well as batteries on Copp's Hill in Boston5.
The weather had
become hot with temperatures in the mid 80's6. The British forces in
Boston were now being ferried across the Charles River from Boston
proper to a point near where Nathaniel and the Scituate men were
stationed. There were soon as many as 2200 (some sources place the
British strength at 2300) redcoats7 . They were Crack British Troops
under the personal command of General William Howe, although the
British forces in North America at this time were still under the
overall command of General Thomas Gage. General Howe, along with
General Sir Henry Clinton and General John "Gentleman Johnnie"
Burgoyne were newly arrived in North American direct from London. The
British in their polished boots, red coats and the uniformity of
their weapons were in stark contrast to the homespun everyday
clothing worn by Nathaniel and his fellow Minutemen (Editor's Note -
Nathaniel and his fellow rebels were armed with their own muskets and
probably did not have bayonets)8.
The Massachusetts
Minutemen were ably led by Colonel William Prescott who had learned
his warrior skills well during the French and Indian War9. When
General Gage asked Prescott's brother-in-law, Abijah Willard, who
was a Tory, if Prescott would fight, he is quoted as saying," I can't
answer for his men but Prescott will fight you to the gates of
Hell"10. Nathaniel and the men of the 3rd Scituate brigade of
Minutemen were also ably let by Captain William Turner of Colonel
Anthony Thomas's Regiment11. They took their assigned positions and
awaited the British attack. Other Colonial officers from
Massachusetts, Connecticut (Old Israel Putnam) and New Hampshire
(General Stark) were there. Dr Joseph Warren, a newly appointed
General by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress but whose commission
was still forthcoming, came as a private soldier to fight in the
ranks along with Nathaniel and the other Minutemen. Rebel
sharpshooters were firing upon the British soldiers from the
abandoned homes in nearby Charleston. General Howe ordered the town
burned. The Royal navy fired red hot shot into the city setting it on
fire. When General Howe saw the Rebel fortifications and the
manpower he would be facing he called for reinforcements. Another 200
soldiers arrived, bringing the total British force to 2500 soldiers.
"Old Put" paced up and down the line insisting that the Minutemen
hold their fire until the last minute. He said, "Don't fire until
you can see the whites of their eyes"12. The tactic worked to
perfection. The British attackers were hurled back. The British
regrouped and attacked for a 2 nd time, only to be repulsed again.
Nathaniel could see more British re-enforcements arriving (another
400 Marines)13 and preparing for a third charge at their position. As
the third charge materialized Nathaniel and his fellow Minutemen
depleted their supply of powder and shot. The order came from Captain
Turner to retreat. Nathaniel and the Scituate men were among the
fortunate as they were able to reach the safety of Bunker Hill and
eventually the Rebel positions in Cambridge and Lexington.
Disappointment,
remorse and a deep sense of failure came over Nathaniel and others at
their failure to hold their position. However, in the midst of their
disappointment rumors were rampant at the large number of casualties
inflicted upon the British. Nearly 40 % dead and/or wounded. Rebel
losses were considerably less14. General Greene was being widely
quoted by the troops as having said, "I wish we could sell them
another hill at the same price"15.
Due to a quirk of
fate the battle took place on Breeds' Hill and not Bunker Hill. The
Committee of Safety had ordered General Artemas Ward to "Take and
hold Bunker Hill", 16but upon arriving on the Charleston Peninsula,
it became clear to the officer in charge, Colonel Prescott and his
engineer, that Breeds' Hill was the most advantageous place to
fortify. In the confusion of the moment, the records were never
changed. As a result, one of the most famous battles of the American
Revolution, and maybe in American military history, occurred on
Breed's Hill and not Bunker Hill.
As it turns out
after working long hours on the entrenchments on Breeds Hill, Daniel
Eells had been ordered on a scouting expedition in the morning hours
of June 17, 1775 and was not in the famous battle. However, Daniel
goes on to participate in the Battle of Long Island August 27, 1776
and was with General Washington in the retreat from New York. He
also served on a privateer, and was captured and taken as a prisoner
to Havana. After the Revolution he moved to New Hartford, New York.
He died there on July 19, 185117.
Nathaniel and the
Scituate men returned home to nearby Scituate, MA. Anxious to rejoin
the battle around Boston, Nathaniel enlisted in the 2nd Plymouth
regiment commanded by Colonel John Cushing. He was assigned to a
company commanded by Captain Francis Cushing and was marched off to
Boston to assist in the siege18.
At this time the
newly arrived rebel commander, George Washington, was facing a crisis
of manpower. The New Englanders' enlistments were up on December 31,
1775 except for the Rhode Island and Connecticut Militiamen whose
enlistments were up on December 10, 1775. Most of these militia men
were expressing their desire to go home19. An even more serious
problem to General Washington was the difference in pay among the
officers and enlisted men of the different colonies, Some colonies
paid the soldiers based upon the Lunar month which gave them one
months pay per year more than those soldiers serving from colonies
who paid on the basis of a calendar month. In all colonies the pay
for the junior officers was so poor that most were likely to quit20.
To relieve the problem of departing soldiers Washington called up
5000 Massachusetts Militia for December 10, 1775 as replacements for
the departing Connecticut men21.
January 1, 1776
saw a new flag waving over the encampment. Nathaniel must have been
inspired when he saw this first "American" flag. A flag of the
"United Colonies", but they were still rebels because at this point
they had not declared their independence from
England.
With the arrival
of the captured artillery from Ft. Ticonderoga, the Rebels were able
to build fortifications on Dorchester Heights which overlooked Boston
from the South on the opposite side of Boston from their positions on
Bunker Hill. The fortifications were started during the night of
March 3, 1776, and building continued well into the morning and
afternoon of March 4, 1776. The British position in Boston was now
indefensible. General Howe, who had taken over command of His
Majesty's forces in Boston after the recall of General Gage, had no
choice open to him except to order the complete evacuation of Boston
. On March 17, 1776 the last British ship left Boston Harbor for
Nantasket and finally for Halifax22 in Canada with as many Tories,
horses and other supplies as could be transported by the limited
number of transports available to him. On April 4, 1776 General
Washington left Boston and headed to New York where he expected the
British to attack once they were reinforced and re-supplied.
In 1780 Nathaniel
is back in his home town of Middletown, Connecticut. We find him
enlisted in a regiment of Light Dragoons commanded by Captain Elijah
Seymour23. In December of 1780 he was appointed one of a committee
to purchase powder in accordance with an act of the General
Assembly24 .
Thus ends the
military career of Pvt. Nathaniel Eells. But what do we know about
the rest of Nathaniel's life and travels? Well, we know for certain
that Nathaniel was born on either September 8, 1748, September 11,
1748 or September 18, 1748 depending upon which source you prefer.
According to the author of The Eells Family of Dorchester,
Massachusetts, in the line of Nathaniel Eells of Middletown,
Connecticut 1633 - 1821 (page 166), by Mr. Frank Farnsworth Starr for
James J. Goodwin, Nathaniel was born September 8, 1748 and baptized
three days later. The Eells Family Association and Mr. Earnest Eells
agree with these dates and state so in The Eells Family Association
official publication copyrighted in 1985. Dwight H. Bruce says in
his book, Onondaga's Centennial, that Nathaniel was born September
11, 1748. Bruce's date may not be a stretch because both Frank Starr
and Earnest Eells say Nathaniel was baptized on the 11th of
September. It is understandable then how this day may have been used
by Dwight Bruce as his date of birth. However, the official records
of The Daughters of the American Revolution show Nathaniel's date of
birth to be September 18th and his headstone in Lake View Cemetery,
Skaneateles, New York shows he died January 7, 1815 at the age of 66
years, 4 months, 18 days. As I calculate this he would have been born
on the 18th day of September, 1748. In any event Nathaniel was
baptized into the Congregational Church by his parents, Nathaniel
Eells, Sr and Alice White. Everyone seems to agree that he was born
in Middletown, Connecticut and that he married Huldah White (Born
February 10, 1750/1751) on February 22, 1776, daughter of Moses and
Huldah Knowles White, also of Middletown, Connecticut.
So if born,
raised and married in Middletown, Connecticut what were the
circumstances that placed Nathaniel as a volunteer soldier in the 3
rd Scituate, Massachusetts Regiment of Minutemen and play a role in
the battle of Bunker Hill? And how did he participate in the Siege of
Boston if he takes a wife February 22, 1776 during the middle of the
siege? We know Nathaniel was in Middletown in 1772 and 1773 25. We
also know that Nathaniel's great grandparents were from Scituate and
he had a long list of Aunts, Uncles and cousins still living in
Scituate. It seems reasonable then that Nathaniel would have
maintained close contact with the Scituate area. He may have spent
his summers and holidays there and may have even been living there
with a close relative in April 1775. This would explain Nathaniel's
presence in Scituate, Massachusetts and his voluntary service in the
3 rd Scituate company of Minutemen. He most probably left the siege
on furlough long enough to marry Huldah White back in Middletown,
Connecticut. The fact that Nathaniel could not wait to marry Huldah
suggests that there may have been another reason his parents were so
anxious to send Nathaniel to Scituate to live with a close relative.
Even in the late 18 th century parents would often come up with ways
to separate young men and young women. Facing combat may have
spurred Nathaniel to act, using the war as an excuse to overcome any
objection his parents may have had to his getting married.
Nathaniel
eventually returned to Middletown and became active in local politics
during the period of 1780 to 1794 26 .
Nathaniel and
Huldah had 7 children: Nathaniel born December 7, 1776; Huldah b.
June 14, 1778; Richard born August 18, 1779; Clarissa born January
31, 1782; Sylvester born March 13, 1783; Susannah born May 8, 1785
and Horace born July 5, 178927.
Nathaniel and
his brother, Daniel, inherited the real estate of their father and
divided the homestead between them, Nathaniel taking the Southern
half and Daniel the Northern half28. On June 15, 1791, Nathaniel
sold his home, barn and lot of 4.5 acres for f150. Where he resided
from this date until he went to the state of New York is not known.
In January of 1797, Nathaniel, Huldah and their little band of Eells
moved to Whitestown, Herkimer (now Oneida) County, New York 29This
move is also recorded in the book by Dwight H. Bruce titled
Onondaga's Centennial page 403. Bruce goes on to say that Nathaniel
is induced to move by Judge Hugh White, the cousin of Huldah, to
manage his grist mill there. Nathaniel became a wheelwright and
miller30. In 1800 he buys 50 acres in lot 26 and 50 acres in lot 32
of township 12, Mexico, New York. This land is later sold October
1801. In that same month Jedidiah Sanger and his wife, Sarah, of
Whitestown, New York, conveyed to Nathaniel Eells of Frankford, New
York, about 90 acres of land which was a part of Military Lot 36 in
the town of Marcellus, later Skaneateles, Onondaga County, New York31
. In January 1804 Nathaniel and his little band of Eells move to
Marcellus, again to manage a grist mill of Judge White and Judge
Sanger. He also buys the Pardee place in Marcellus (Now
Skaneateles)32. In 1830 the town of Skaneateles was formed entirely
within Military lot #36.
Nathaniel Eells
conveyed four acres of land on the northeast corner of East and
Onondaga Streets to the Skaneateles Religious Society on January 3,
1804. The purpose being for the building of a meeting house, school
or other public buildings33 .
As previously
noted, Susannah Eells was born to Nathaniel and Huldah on May 8,
1785. She married Captain Moses Loss in 1803. Moses was born in New
Durham, Connecticut in 1777 and came to Skaneateles in 1802. He
served as a Captain of Militia at Sackett's Harbor in the War of
1812. Moses was a carpenter and builder. He died in July 1853 of
gangrene resulting from an injury to his left foot which occurred
while building a home in Skaneateles. In an attempt to halt the
spread of the infection his left leg was amputated. The operation was
a success but failed to save his life. He died a short time after the
amputation34 .
In 1802 Moses
Loss built a house at 40 Onondaga Street which is still standing
today and was the home of John and Barbara Spain until early 2003
when it was sold to Nancy Jacobs35 .
During a church
meeting held July 25, 1812 Moses Loss and his wife, Susannah, were
admitted into full membership in the Awrich Presbyterian
Church.
Nathaniel Eells
passed away Jan 7, 1815 in Skaneateles. His wife, Huldah White passed
away August 3, 1830 also in Skaneateles. Both are buried in Lake View
Cemetery, Skaneateles, Onondaga County, New York.
Here ends the
story of Nathaniel Eells. Just an average American, doing his duty,
raising his family and participating in his local government, church
and neighborhood. Nathaniel's story is repeated many times by many
settlers as they moved west, fought off the Indians, cleared the land
and founded a country.
For your
convenience and use I have made the following time line chart showing
some important dates in Nathaniel's life.
TIME LINE
OF THE LIFE OF NATHANIEL EELLS, JR
Born in
Middletown, Connecticut either September 9, 11, 18,
1748
Answered the call
of April 18, 1775
Battle of Bunker
Hill June 17, 1775
Siege of Boston
&endash; winter of 1775 &endash; 1776
Married Huldah
White February 22, 1776
Susannah Eells
born May 8, 1785
Sells his home in
Middletown, Connecticut June 15, 1791
Induced to
relocate to Whitestown, New York by Huldah' s cousin, Judge Hugh
White by January 1797.
Induced to move
to Marcellus (now Skaneateles), Onondaga County, New York by Judge
Hugh White by January 1804
Nathaniel dies in
Skaneateles, New York January 7, 1815
Huldah dies in
Skaneateles, New York August 2, 1830
I have relied
upon the following sources for much of my material and to verify many
facts used in my paper. I would recommend them to you for further
reading on any subject noted herein.
Rebels and
Redcoats: George F. Scheer and Hugh F. Rankin, Da Capo Edition
The Eells Family
of Dorchester, MA by Frank Farnsworth Starr for James J. Goodwin
Eells Family
Association & Earnest Eells: Copyright 1985
Onondaga's
Centennial: Dwight H. Bruce
The House at 40
Onondaga Street by Barbara Bendall Spain
George
Washington's War: Robert Leckie, 1993 Edition
Battles of the
Revolutionary War: W. J. Woods, First Edition 1995
Redcoats and
Rebels: Christopher Hibbert, American Edition