How North Hampton helped defeat the British in the American Revolution

How North Hampton helped defeat the British in the American Revolution

A painting by former resident, and both a Select Board member and President of the North Hampton Historical Society Jenifer Holbert Landman, hangs in the lobby of Town Offices. There’s a brochure nearby that provides detailed information about the Battle of Saratoga, Bemis Heights and the painting’s depiction of the event.   

For those of us rusty on our Revolutionary War history, here’s a summary. 

Before the Battle of Saratoga in the Fall 1777, the Americans were not doing well. We all know of Paul Revere’s ride of April of 1775 to warn Lexington and Concord that British troops were coming. Some of us may know that the first shots of the war were in New Hampshire when patriots stole munitions from Fort William and Mary – now Fort Constitution -- to keep them out of British hands.              

The first major battle of the war was the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17th. The British won, and American forces worked to keep the British confined to Boston through the winter of 1775.  

In late winter the Americans captured Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York. British General Howe and his men retreated to Canada to prepare for a major invasion of New York.

Shortly after the Americans declared independence in 1776, a British fleet and more than 34,000 troops arrived in New York Harbor. Losing on Long Island, General Washington had to abandon the city in September. The Americans did manage a surprise attack with Washington crossing the Delaware River on Christmas 1776 before retreating to Valley Forge for the winter.  

The British plan was to separate New England from the rest of the American colonies by having General John Burgoyne’s army march from Canada and join with General Howe’s forces. Burgoyne retook Fort Ticonderoga, while Howe moved south where his forces defeated the Americans at Brandywine Creek, PA. From there they entered Philadelphia. The British held both New York City and Philadelphia.

Dire time for the Americans but Burgoyne had been left in upstate New York where near Saratoga, New York he was defeated in the first Battle of Saratoga in September 1777. Then on October 7 at Bemis Heights the British were defeated again in the second Battle of Saratoga. 

These Saratoga battles were the war’s turning point because they prompted France to openly enter the war on the American side. France had been providing aid secretly since 1776 but did not actually declare war on Britain until 1778. The civil war between Britain and its colonies had become an international conflict.

What was going on in North Hampton during this time? By 1775 twenty four North Hampton men joined Captain Henry Elkins’ Company from Hampton to patrol the coast. Fear that Portsmouth would be attacked by sea by the British was great, especially after the Royal Governor John Wentworth had departed in August on a British man-of-war.  

In mid-October a rider arrived on the Sabbath at the North Hampton meeting house and reported that General Sullivan expected Portsmouth to be attacked in hours. Dearborn Fogg, a drummer, sprang to the door and beat a call to arms. Most men marched out of the meeting house, going directly to Portsmouth and enlisting. Some were assigned to companies to fortify Portsmouth Harbor, others to protect the town, and others to protect the coast including Little Boar’s Head. These efforts continued until the British surrender at Saratoga ending the northern campaign two years later.

North Hampton also had set up a local Committee of Safety elected every two years to coordinate its military efforts with those of the new state government. Captain Moses Leavitt and Captain John Dearborn, an older brother of Henry Dearborn (see blogs about Henry, The Dearborn of Dearborn Park and Henry Dearborn Revisited when you finish this one) usually did the recruiting. In 1777, the year the Continental Army was reorganized, the Town offered to pay men 100 pounds over and above what the Continental Congress and New Hampshire paid in bounties.

North Hampton and other towns hastily raised troops as the British began its offensive campaign in New York. About 14 men joined the Continental Army with two going in as officers, Lt. James Wedgewood of the 3rd and Ensign Daniel Gookin of the 2nd New Hampshire Continental Regiments. As many as 72 more North Hampton men continued to serve three to six month enlistments in the NH militia and also were at Saratoga. Colonel Abraham Drake led the 2nd NH Regiment. The next time you visit Hubbington’s, take a look at the monument in front. Erected in 1927, it provides a synopsis of Drake’s life. And for more events, check out the time line on the Town website. https://www.northhampton-nh.gov/historical-society/pages/time-line-documents