Another
war and another peace
.
For
years, the infant U.S. government was infuriated
by British actions at sea. The answer was Jefferson’s
1807 "Embargo Act." Virtually all trade
relying on import and export was forbidden. This
act alone destroyed the island’s economy. Most
remained patriotically bound to the law, but some
engaged in smuggling — many out of necessity,
for hardship was widespread. Coupled with the dual
temptation that laws banning trade were virtually
impossible to enforce and neighboring Canada was
less than 100 miles away, many saw little need to
abide by the act. Town officials reflected this
general discontent in 1809, Hosmer having recorded
the following in his municipal record abstracts:
"On
January 17 it was voted at a town meeting that the
town disapproves the embargo laws then in force,
and a petition was voted to be made to the General
Court for relief … for the distressed and embarrassed
situation of the people here."
Though
the Embargo Act was repealed that year, it had exposed
the chronic economic and military tensions that
would tumble into the 1812 declarations of war.
The British still maintained a presence in the Penobscot
Bay region and could claim many sympathizers. Some
islanders were content to live peaceably with their
Tory neighbors — "even if we don’t
agree with their politics," as Crowell Sylvester
stated in Rittenhouse’s An Island Woman.
Still, a patriotic majority, that fielded many Continental
Army veterans, was in favor of forcing the British
out. American privateers ran rampant up and down
the Maine coast, capturing, plundering and burning
British supply brigs. Reprisals, as had occurred
along the New England coast during the Revolution,
were a concern. Town selectmen petitioned both state
and federal officials for military protection in
July of 1812. It would yield no guarantees. As was
the case thirty years earlier, Deer Islanders were
on their own.
Since
the early days of the community, "Muster Day"
had been held on Saturdays in the square of Deer
Isle village at the mouth of Northwest Harbor. It
had become a social and trade & barter event
during more peaceful times. But with the U.S. and
British again at each others’ necks, the drilling
of militia returned. The fear of a British raiding
party was real. Many privateers operated within
Penobscot Bay during the short war. An attack on
a British supply ship in Small’s Cove is described
in An Island Woman by then child Salmon Sylvester
— as well as in Hosmer’s municipal abstracts.
But the few local disturbances aside, the militia
was never required to repel any threat aimed at
Deer Isle, nor anywhere else within what was still
Massachusetts’ "province of Maine."
The War of 1812 ended after the decisive battles
of 1813 and 1814, fought in the not so distant St.
Lawrence River Valley, New York, Ontario and on
the Great Lakes. The commercially paralyzing privateering
campaigns finally forced British merchants to push
their government to seek peace negotiations. It
all culminated with the Treaty of Ghent, signed
on Christmas Eve, 1814 … With the conclusion
of hostilities, trading and commerce was largely
restored and islanders could get back to the business
of life.
Town of Deer Isle ~ |
|
Port in Stonington, late 1800s ~ |
|
Along Route 15 ~ |
The early-to-mid 19th century was an
era of great advancement. It would start, in the
region, with the creation of a new state. In December
of 1819, a convention was held to frame a constitution
that would create local government separate from
the sovereignty of Massachusetts — with which
local leaders had so often disagreed. Ignatius Haskell
and Asa Green represented Deer Isle. New state laws
differed most notably in that all men were allowed
to vote, despite religious affiliation — though
the separation of church and state was still a clear
delineation. Maine became a state on March 15, 1820,
its motto "Dirigo" Latin for "I direct,
I lead." Technical innovation, especially in
transportation, led these days. Maine’s coastal
towns and ports had gained a reputation for yielding
expert boatbuilders and sailors. The forests of
Deer Isle were a commodity that fed the boatbuilding
industries and all the economic pursuits that maritime
commerce drove. By 1831, railroads had appeared
on the mainland, eventually reaching up to Bangor.
Initially, their main duty was the transportation
of lumber. The lumber harvested on Deer Isle was
a positive resource in this golden age of sailing,
or more specifically the age of the "packet."
A "packet" was a light, rugged, fast-moving
ship that became the vessel of choice for long-distance
traders traversing the angry seas of the Atlantic
… And in trade and sailing skill, Deer Islanders
had plenty. Dried, salted mackerel and cod caught
in the deepwater seas off the coast augmented a
booming trade in the clapboards, planking, staves
for barrels and shingles that flowed out of Deer
Isle sawmills — of which there were also plenty.
Lumber products in general were highly sought after
in the rapidly expanding cities of America and in
the distant ports of the West Indies and Mediterranean.
As expert sailors who were equally proficient in
commerce, many a Deer Islander made a healthy, if
dangerous, living on these seas of fishing and trade.
Some
of the common goods procured by islander merchants
through trade were molasses, sugar, salt for the
curing of fish, and the companion of the sailor:
rum. Aside from the yearly records of tax allotments
for schools, highway repair, soldier pensions and
the poor fund, Hosmer records some of the memorable
occurrences through the years. In 1831, a "celebrated
set of causes and consequences" revolved around
rum. The sale of spirits had long been an issue.
Licensed servers were bound to abide by "postings,"
or lists drawn up by the town’s selectmen banning
the sale of liquor to residents who "drink
until they stagger," as put by Salome Sellers.
The penalty for non-compliance was a fine and possible
suspension of the server’s license. In 1831,
two servers were turned in for violating known "postings."
They were put on trial and found guilty. The trial
was attended on the inside by supporters of the
"posting" rule and on the outside by a
crowd of "anti-posting" men who beat a
drum and set an intimidating mood. Crowell Sylvester,
older brother of Salome, had originally turned in
the violators. Upon leaving the trial he was jumped
by the angry mob, who in turn were beaten back by
Crowell’s friends. The "1831 Rum Riot,"
no doubt fueled by the spirit on trial, eventually
fell into mere threats and posturing. But what might
seem a simple issue took on great importance amongst
the community. Hosmer wrote, "there had been
in progress a radical reform in the minds of a large
part of the community … with regard to the
use of ardent spirits, as it had grown to be an
alarming evil." This reform movement soon after
took hold in Deer Isle with the formation of the
Martha Washington Temperance Society. Rum
itself was hardly the problem, men just back from
long voyages or long hard days of swinging the ax
often indulging in a drink or two. But from that
point on, a strong collection of women, in step
with the enforcement of town laws, would work to
keep Deer Isle free of the "evils of liquor
intemperately consumed." Rum was to be a privilege
of the respectable.
The
Society soon after became known as the Martha
Washington Benevolent Society —
as much a result of the members desire to discuss
other things, pursue other causes, as for any reason.
For the Deer Isle of the 1830s could boast an established
set of communities, families, a government, tax
dollars and general character, giving credence to
the refined expansion and improvement on which grounded
districts can focus. There were 18 school districts
by then, all built around one-room schoolhouses
that were publicly funded. There was diversification
in the form of a second split with the Congregational
Church, which resulted in the founding of a Methodist
ministry on Deer Isle. For over 40 years, the local
government had been built around a basic "Who’s
Who" of respectable family names: Stinson,
Hardy, Spofford, Kimball, Haskell, Green, Turner,
Torrey, Webb, Warren, Pressey, Babbidge, Sellers,
Eaton. Records show a consistent turnover on town
selectmen rolls, indicating the attention that voters
must have given the issues and a willingness to
change or accept new blood for the betterment of
the community. One such addition was the "Hos’ma"
character that had started this lengthy search of
mine. George L. Hosmer, served his first year as
selectman in 1841, a position he would hold off
and on for most of his adult life. Though he missed
the important 1840 resolution enacted "to prevent
any persons from playing ball in the highways,"
Hosmer was on hand to vote on Isle au Haut’s
first steps towards self-government in 1843 —
being awarded their own representative — and
for important allocations towards rebuilding the
town hall in 1846. Throughout the 1840s, Hosmer
and his fellow selectmen presided over a local government
that was active in municipal stewardship, averaging
between $1,000 — $1,500 a year for highway
and bridge repair and serving public education with
like allocations. There would be 48 one-room schoolhouses
on Deer Isle by 1860.
In
these days, in these small New England towns, public
education was much more than a simple right. It
was considered the duty of the community at large.
The future was more expedient, in more imminent
peril. Death by disease was much more common, especially
amongst children. The islanders suffered through
a scarlet fever epidemic in the winter of 1842,
that took a tragic toll on the island’s youth,
claiming two of the Sellers’ children. The
1828 diphtheria epidemic had taken Salome’s
parents, as well. An epidemic, a crippling farming
accident, an island sailor lost at sea … though
tragic, these incidents were commonplace in this
era prior to the refined knowledge of microbiology,
workplace safety and progressive general health
standards [though it should be mentioned that town
leaders earmarked a tax allotment in 1854 for resident
smallpox vaccinations]. Still, refinement was a
simpler pursuit then represented in a child being
educated, a self-sustaining home, a shelter from
winter’s worst. Refinement took on secular
meaning in the yearly repair of bridges and the
good grace involved in a particularly high yield
from the banks off the coast. Spiritual refinement
was something increasingly pursued by free choice.
In 1858, Deer Isle added the Second Congregational
Church and Free Will Church to the three existing
ministries. These were days of basic necessities,
frugal luxuries, harsh realities and incremental
improvement. It was a time to field a strong heart
and a strong community. And perhaps it was best.
For local tragedies were soon to be footnotes to
a national disaster.
The
Civil War in this Maine Town
.
In
1861, island residents were still dependent on distant
sources for news from the outside world. It would
funnel in with the return of island sailors and
find detail in various regional newspapers, like
the Portland Transcript and Maine Farmer
and the popular national magazine, Harper’s
Weekly. In April, the nation was stunned by
"the teriable times in S. Caroliner."
Local reaction to the bombardment of Fort Sumter
was virile and patriotic, Vernal Hutchinson writing:
"flags were raised at every home — in
fact it was unsafe not to raise one." The first
Deer Isle recruit on record was Charles Harris Gray,
who after going ashore with a fishing crew at Gloucester,
Mass. and hearing the news, enlisted with Company
G of the 8th Massachusetts regiment.
Closer to home, Deer Islanders trekked to Castine,
where the 2nd Maine was recruiting. Eleven
men would soon join ranks of the 4th
Maine, as well. In May and June, islanders, now
soldiers, began moving out for training camps in
and around the nation’s capital. The town selectmen
voted to allot $13 a month to the families of soldiers,
planning ahead for the financial hardship that their
absence would bring. July 4 of that year was as
patriotic an event as Deer Isle had ever seen, Hutchinson
writing, "Independence Day meant more to them
this year than ever." But atop the nationalistic
fervor hovered a set of tense, anxious emotions.
Most were convinced that the imminent clash in Virginia
would be climactic and settle once and for all this
"rebel problem." In fact, it would instill
the opposite. On July 21st, the armies
met at Bull Run. It was a stunning southern victory.
Both the 2nd and 4th Maine
were heavily engaged. There were regimental casualties,
but no deaths. Still, the grim specter of a long
bloody conflict settled in.
In
late 1861, the 12th, 13th
and 14th Maine regiments were organized.
By early 1862, they were shipping out for the various
fronts. All three were full of Deer Islanders. The
first regiments had been sent off with celebratory
parades, marching proudly down the bunting-lined
avenues full of flag-waving throngs, bands and patriotic
cheering. Quite the contrast is Hutchinson’s
description of the 14th Maine’s
departure in early 1862:
"The
14th marched quietly, alone and unheralded
in the cold February dawn. Like a great dark snake
against the white snow it wound its way through
the empty streets of Augusta, to be swallowed by
the waiting train at the station."
With
sailing in their blood, some islanders enlisted
in the Navy. All the Deer Isle volunteers soon found
themselves far from home. The 2nd and
the remnants of the reorganized 4th Maine
were preparing in Virginia for the spring 1862 Peninsular
Campaign. The 12th, 13th and
14th headed for duty in New Orleans …
And then it came, the first battle death. Charles
Gray, then in the ranks of the 23rd Mass.,
was killed, March 14th, at New Bern,
North Carolina. Hutchinson wrote, "The crime
[of secession] now was a personal one, the hatred
a personal hatred." The distant brutality of
war had arrived in this small removed community.
And that was only the beginning. In 1862, the 12th,
13th and 14th, on duty from
Fort St. Phillip up the Mississippi to New Orleans
and Baton Rouge, were decimated by malaria and other
subtropical diseases. Six islanders died of disease
in Louisiana that year. Both the 16th
Maine and 38th New York, which contained
islanders previously in the 4th Maine,
were heavily engaged in the disastrous assaults
at Fredericksburg that December. There were many
wounded. Private Harlon Powers was listed as missing
and presumed dead. It was a long, hard year. The
sick and disabled had begun to come home to the
islands. Though remote, there was worry of "Rebel
raiders" off the coast. Hutchinson described
a lonely homefront that winter: "It was a quiet
winter … the mumps went around town causing
a lot of discomfort." Life proceeded as best
it could.
Charles Gray ~ |
|
The 2nd Maine in winter encampment ~ |
|
Plat of Green's Landing ~ |
The innovation of "seining," dragging
weighted nets alongside a moving vessel, revolutionized
the fishing industry. Tremendous yields of herring
and sardines came in. Lobstering had caught on,
as had the quarrying of granite — already a
successful and lucrative industry on neighboring
Vinalhaven Island in the bay. Life and commerce
proceeded out of sheer necessity, the fear of more
casualties after another great battle sinking in
as routine — a fatalism that had visited most
every small village across the country by 1863.
That year, the town selectmen of Deer Isle were
busy procuring men to fill the town’s quota
for the first draft of the war. One town meeting
led to the notion of paying men from other townships
to represent Deer Isle so that the community could
meet its quota more quickly. Very few drafted Deer
Islanders ever served, the Union ranks already filled
with islander volunteers. The unpleasant task of
allotting financial support for the increasing number
of island war widows was seen to alongside such
standard municipal needs as highway repair. It was
to be a quieter Fourth of July in 1863, as town
selectmen outlawed firecracker sales. Live works
continued to rain down death across the country.
The 16th Maine took heavy casualties
at Gettysburg that summer. The 14th Maine
was engaged at Port Hudson, Louisiana, and Sabine
Pass, Texas. Pvt. John Henderson drowned in the
aftermath of the latter expedition. Island sailor
Henry Robbins, having been captured by a southern
raider, died that year in a southern prisoner camp.
All told, 4 islanders died in service in 1863.
In
1863, Union victories in the field helped shift
the prevailing tides of war in its favor. It also
strengthened the resolve to endure. 1864 would test
the mettle of that conviction. On Deer Isle, as
everywhere, wartime inflation pushed the prices
of general goods beyond reach. Hutchinson wrote,
"Prices had soared as the war progressed …
Soap was twenty-five cents a cake, crackers twenty-five
cents a pound … Clothing prices had risen to
more than ten times what they were before the war."
Hutchinson further wrote of the island residents’
reaction to the inflation: "They made their
own soap, their own clothing … denied themselves
all but the bare necessities rather than pay …
such ridiculous prices."
The
original volunteers had enlisted for a three-year
term of service. In 1864, all of the volunteer veterans’
terms expired. Some, feeling their duty fulfilled,
decided not to re-enlist. The 4th Maine
was mustered out of service at Rockland that June.
Most, maybe not surprisingly, did re-up. The 14th
Maine re-enlisted wholesale for the duration of
the war. Having been transferred to the eastern
fronts, the 14th’s Sergeant Alva
Emerson was killed at Cedar Creek that October.
Avery Stinson, attached to a Massachusetts cavalry
regiment, had his finger cut off in a hand-to hand
cavalry fight during the Atlanta campaign. Sacrifice
and resolve were as prevalent, if not more so, in
1864 than ever before. Most could sense that the
end was near. Abraham Lincoln’s re-election
that November solidified the understanding that
the war would be prosecuted to its end. A little
more than four years after the first shots were
fired into Fort Sumter, it did end. But not before
a final tragic islander’s death. Private Albion
Stinson of the 8th Maine was killed in
fighting near Appomattox Court House on April 8th,
1865, a day before Lee surrendered and for all intents
and purposes ended the war … Peace had cost
Deer Isle the lives of almost twenty of its young
men.
Next
Page
A History of Deer Isle, Maine - Table of Contents
~
Introduction
The Isles and Early Exploration
The First Inhabitants
and the First Settlers
The Early Days of Revolution
and Civilization
Another War and Another
Peace
The Civil War in this
Maine Town
Island Life and the Coming
Prosperity
A New Century
Sources and More Info
