History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

HISTORY OF AMESBURY. 269
in some portions of New England, and Gen. Washington's army
amounted to but a few hundred. An effort to fill up the rank
and file became absolutely necessary to sustain the desperate
cause.
The scarcity of arms was, also, telling against the Americans. .
All the old guns were repaired by local gunsmiths in the vari-
ous towns, so as to pass muster. In Amesbury, David Blasdell
repaired the locks and guns, as his father had done in the old
French and Indian wars. Fortunately, however, a French ves-
sel arrived at Portsmouth, N. H., with eleven thousand guns
and other war material. One or two chests of these were
brought to Amesbury and distributed by Isaac Merrill, Esq.,
two of which the writer now has in his possession, now known
as "old French guns."
To the amazement of all, in seven days from filling the last
call the town was threatened with a draft. A warrant for a
town meeting was immediately issued, containing the following
article :
—
" To see if the town will take some proper method to com-
plete our full seventh part of all the male inhabitants of this
town from sixteen years old and upwards to serve as Soldiers
in the Continental Army agreeable to an act of this State of
April y e 30th to enlist or draft the men that are wanting to
complete said seventh part on or before the 15 th day of this
present May." That the people might be awake to the impor-
tance of the meeting, the selectmen added "It is desired the
good people of this town will give their attendance at time and
place above mentioned for the business is urgent and will not
admit of delay."
The citizens assembled on the 12th, and under the excitement
of the moment voted a bounty of $100 to each man who
should enlist. The meeting was then adjourned to meet at the
house of Benjamin Bodge on "Thursday Next."
At the adjourned meeting, the previous vote was reconsidered
and $50 substituted for serving till "the tenth of January next,"
a little more than seven months. This arrangement was not
satisfactory, however, from some cause and was reconsidered.