Vermont AHGP

Part of the American History and Genealogy Project

Soldiers of 1812

This place furnished 8:

Lewis Bemis, a brother of three of these soldiers, was also from this town, though he enlisted from Barnet. His father and friends all resided here, and he should have a notice here. He belonged to the old 4th regiment, which was sent out under Col. Miller to the then territory of Ohio, to look after the Indians who were making depredations on the frontier settlements.

At one time they came to the dwelling of a Mr. Harriman, (whose wife was the daughter of Alexander Parker of Montpelier, and sister of Mrs. James Pitkin of this town,) just about an hour after the savages had murdered and left him and his family. They pressed on, but failed to overtake the Indians, and soon after joined the main body under the infamous Gen. Hull on its way to Fort Detroit.

Before arriving at Detroit, Col. Miller saw Hull's treachery, and accused him of it, and challenged him to fight a duel, both before and after their arrival, quite in vain; he surrendered the fort and army without firing a gun. In that fort, among our men, were a number of British who had deserted and joined our army. The next morning, and two or three succeeding mornings, our army was paraded and the British officers walked along and inspected it, and when they saw a British soldier, he was tapped on the shoulder, and commanded to step out. Where they had suspicions, and yet were not certain as to their being British subjects, they would question them. A number of times Mr. Bemis, though he never saw Ireland, was asked, "In what town in Ireland were you born"? Each time his answer was, "I was born in Paxham, in Massachusetts."

One poor fellow, the first time they came round, succeeded in squinting his eyes so as fairly to deceive them, and after that succeeded in slipping down an embankment just in the right time to- save his life. About 40 of these poor deserters were taken out and shot. The army, surrendered by Hull, was then taken to Quebec, and confined in a prison-ship on the St. Lawrence, where they were allowed but one half pint of water per day, though their prison was floating on the river, and if any one attempted to let down a cup for water, he was shot down. Three-fourths of the prisoners eventually died from the cruelties there received. The rest were eventually exchanged.

Jesse Webster died in Marshfield, Oct. 20, 1878, aged 83 years. He was one of the Plattsburgh volunteers, and had an application for pension pending at the time of his death.

It is not known that any one enlisted from this town, in the war with Mexico. But when the great rebellion broke out, that intensity of feeling which thrilled from the prairies of the West to the shores of the Atlantic, found an answering tone among our hills, and by our firesides. And as call after call for reinforcements came, the father left his family, the son his parents, in many cases, alas! to return no more.

Marshfield Vermont | AHGP

Source: History of Washington County Vermont, Collated and Published by Abby Maria Hemenway, 1882.

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