E 275 .H78 Copy 1 as|:ltn0to^^^9,. Jlrmij Qass F ^^^ Book-.'H"^^ ■ibtun ^ttiikn in Army ££76 An Account of the Life and Military Services of ZIBEON HOOKER A Lieutenant in the Army of Washington Compiled by his great-grandson Clarence Augustus Wiswall Member of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; the Society of Colonial Wars; the Massachusetts Societj' of the Founders and Patriots of America, and the Bunker Hill Monument Association. MCMXVIII ^(~^<^ie,^^ ^ : '-3 -n O;.- s^ -T"— o cr = , i'3 5 3". c/D'r- !^ r-r- (-»■ 3 CT 3 o —i •c u, -a P 3"^ c o o 3 ? ^5-. "1 !? 7i 5 g 2, tl n o 5. o- c^r H -^lg >.i r • ^ 1 o ' s:-^> •" o >? ^ H ■ =r3 ■ !:3 . Pw &:? J^ G >. ^■^ rs ^ i" n O C/O ■* H ^ > ^; H V PI ^ C/2 -;-\ -n •> <■ '^ S ■\ s, -^ rs .>, z n o c/:)- open field and entered the works in front. As soon as they were re-formed, they moved out of the works into the woods towards the enemy's enclosed redoubt, on the right flank of their main encampment. The whole park of the British Artil- lery opened on them at five hundred yards. From this exposed position they crossed the Creek and covered the troops under the banks of a stockaded fort. After re- maining here about an hour they had or- ders to withdraw. Articles of Capitulation were signed on the seventeenth of October and on the afternoon of that day, the British troops marched out of their encampment and sur- rendered as prisoners of war. Nixon's Bri- gade with the Regiment under Colonel Put- nam soon afterwards went into winter quarters at Albany, In November, Zibeon Hooker was ap- pointed Second Lieutenant under Captain White. They remained in camp till the following March, when they were ordered to West Point and commenced building for- tifications. A part of the Regiment were en- 1778 gaged in this work and the remainder under Colonel Putnam, including the Com- pany of which Zibeon Hooker was Second Page Thirteen Lieutenant, were soon after ordered to Valley Forge, and joined the army at that place under Washington. On the eighteenth of June, the British Army, under General Clinton, evacuated Philadelphia, and set out on the march for New York. Wash- ington at once put his army in motion and followed in pursuit, hoping for a favorable opportunity to attack. This occurred at Monmouth on the twenty-eighth, where a severe engagement took place. The British then continued their march and shortly aft- erwards arrived at their destination. The American Army under Washington soon re- tired to White Plains, where they were sta- tioned in July. In September, the Army was broken up into Divisions and the Regiment under Colonel Putnam was posted at Danbury, Connecticut, in General Gates' Command. Late in December, the Brigade under General Nixon arrived at the place as- signed them on the Highlands, on tlie road from Peekskill to Fishskill, where they hutted for the winter. 1779 About the first of the following Feb- ruary in the year 1779, the Regiment was ordered to Croton River to build the bridge, where they were comfortably housed for the rest of the winter. This work was completed in March. Page Fotirteen ■ February twenty-fourth, Zibeon Hook- Mass. er signed a certificate with Colonel Ezra Archives Newhall, stating they were in service be- fore August 15, 1777 and had not been ab- sent subsequently, except on furlough. In June, they were in camp at West Point. He then received a furlough and was married at Sherburne, to Sarah Barber, June fourteenth. Subsequent to this, they had been as- signed to Wayne's Light Infantry Brigade, which was composed of drafts from the various Regiments in the Continental Ser- vice. It was the elite of the army, com- posed of selected men. In the field they formed the van of the army, the Infantry in advance, and were expected to guard against surprises, and be the first in action. As far as completed, they were divid- ed into four Regiments, commanded iDy Colonels Butler, Meigs, Febiger, and Colonel Rufus Putnam. Putnam's Regiment, known as the Fourth Massachusetts as thus organized, was composed of seven Massachusetts Light Companies, William Hull as Lieu- tenant Colonel. One of the companies was commanded by Captain Haffield White, Zibeon Hooker, Second Lieutenant. On the night of July fifteenth, Wayne Page Fifteen with three of his regiments, one of which was the Fourth Massachusetts, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hull as- saulted and captured Stoney Point, one of the most daring and desperate undertak- ings of the war. They continued to serve in this Bri- gade until December, when the Light In- fantry Corps was broken up to be again merged into the main army. During the winter, they were en- camped near Newark, N. J. j7gQ The army at this time was in a desti- , ^ . ,, „ tute condition, many of the men being bare- In 5th Mass. Reg. . . n^u -u ^ ■ t j Mass. Archives ^^^^' They broke camp m January and took quarters at West Point. Lieutenant Colonel Newhall of Put- nam Regiment marched with two hundred men to do duty on the lines, January thir- tieth. The winter was one of the most sev- ere on record for this section. At one time, there was four feet of snow on the ground on a level and the men suffered the severest hardships for the want of clothing and provisions. Sometimes, five or six days without bread, at other times equally destitute of meat. As Washington said, "the soldiers eat every kind of horse food except hay." Their pay was five months in arrears and the depreciation of the Contin- Page Sixteen h H 1 3 T • 1 > \ 6 . iK V^ (?Ctt- i'u '^tr'^ A.£ y .^i^/^i Address on Invitation ental money was such, it was of little value when received, about 40 to 1. April thirteenth, Zibeon Hooker was commissioned First Lieutenant. In May, he was at Croton River and remained out till July when the Grand Army crossed the North River and encamped at Orangetown. On June twenty-third, they were attacked by five thousand British at Springfield, New Jersey, but were compelled to retreat, be- ing greatly outnumbered, and the town was burned. They were then stationed at West Point and were there at the time of Arn- old's treason. They remained here in gar- rison during the balance of the year. Continental Army pay accounts show ^^^^' Archives Lieutenant Hooker's services from January first to December thirty-first, 1780. He was on furlough at Sherburne by jjgi leave of Commandant of Third Brigade from January seventeenth to April first, when he was ordered to march to camp with recruits. January fifth, return of ef- fectives in garrison. West Point, state the Company was there till June fifteenth. The winter 1780 and 1781 was one of much suffering and privation. The soldiers were on the point of starvation, often en- tirely out of food and were exposed to the Page Seventeen rigors of winter without proper clothing, and had served nearly twelve months with- out pay. In June, the Army crossed over the Hudson at West Point, and reached Peeks- kill on the twenty-second. August twenty-first. Colonel Putnam was ordered by General Heath to parade with his Regiment and form an advance for the Army which, under Washington, was preparing to set out for Yorktown. They accordingly marched at noon that day and formed a detachment to cover that part of the country in front of the Army, and were engaged in this duty for several weeks. While Washington was absent with the main army during the Yorktown cam- paign. General Heath was left in command of the posts on the Hudson. Among the troops were ten Massachusetts Regiments, including that of Colonel Putnam's. On September seventeenth, the Second Massachusetts Brigade, of which the Fifth Regiment was a part, were sent to garrison West Point and were engaged in scouting duty until about November first. Soon after, they went into winter quarters at New Windsor, in log huts erected for the purpose. Page Eighteen During the year 1782, there was vir- 1782 tually a cessation of hostilities in the mid- dle and eastern states. A partisan war- fare was being prosecuted in the south. For the remainder of the year, the Army, under Washington, was stationed at West Point and posts on the Hudson. In the fall, preliminary negotiations were commenced, looking toward a termi- nation of the war. On the nineteenth of April, 1783, a ces- 1783 sation of hostilities was publicly proclaimed to the army. The Society of the Cincinnati was formed May tenth. This society was com- posed of officers of the American Army who served for three years, or to the end of the war, with honor, and who contributed one month's pay to the permanent fund. Lieu- tenant Zibeon Hooker was an original member. In June, many of the officers and men were granted a furlough and were not again called into service, A definite treaty of peace was signed on the twenty-second of September and Congress, having ratified it, they issued a proclamation to disband the army, which was accordingly done, and in November, Page Nineteen the officers and men received their formal discharge. To place the officers of the army in a situation which would render their com- missions valuable and hold out to them the prospect of a comfortable old age, in the country saved by their blood, their suf- ferings and the labor of their best years, and then to rescue from the contempt and misery too often attendant on poverty, men who had devoted the prime of life to the service of the public was an object, which had always been dear to the heart of the commander-in-chief. The first resolution on the subject, passed in 1778, allowed to all the Military Officers who should serve during the war and not hold any office of profit under the United States, half pay for seven years. In 1780, a vote was passed allowing half pay for life to all who should serve in the Army of the United States till the end of the war, also recommending to the sev- eral states to make up the depreciation in the currency which had been used by the army. By this time, the Continental money had practically ceased to circulate or to have any value. Parje Twenty IN CONGRESS, March 22, 1783 It was Resolved : That such officers as are now in service and shall continue there- in until the end of the war, shall be en- titled to receive the amount of five years' full pay in money or securities of interest of six per cent, per annum. Accordingly, commutation certificates were issued for five years' full pay from November, 1783, but as Congress fixed no time for their pay- ment, they had little value. Most of the re- cipients disposed of them for a trivial sum, though the Government finally redeemed them in full. Among the list of officers of the Con- tinental Army of the Revolution who served to the end of the war and acquired the right to half pay and commutation and bounty land under the proposed act of Congress, appears the name of Zibeon Hooker, Lieu- tenant. During the summer, furloughs were freely granted the officers and men, and the army was gradually disbanded. Toward the close of the year. Con- gress issued a proclamataion that such part of the army as stood engaged to serve dur- ing the war should from and after the third day of November next, be absolutely discharged from said service. Page Twenty-one Records of the Rev. War by W. J. R. Saffree Page 423 With great exertion by the Superin- tendent of Finance, four months' pay in part of several years' arrears was given to the army. With this trifling sum, they were obliged to be content. On the day preceding their dismission General Washington issued his farewell order. After bidding them an affectionate farewell, he closed with these words, "May the choicest of Heaven's favors both here and hereafter attend those who under di- vine auspices have secured innumerable blessings for others. With these wishes and this Benediction, the Commander-in- Chief is about to retire from service ; the curtain of separation will soon be drawn, and the military scene, to him, will be closed forever." In this manner terminated the more than eight years of continuous military ser- vices of the subject of these memoirs. Leaving his native town at the "Lex- ington Alarm," on the morning of April nineteenth, 1775, thence proceding to the encampment at Boston ; participating in the famous battle of Bunker Hill, and in the following March, at the British evacuation of Boston, thence in the campaign at Ti- conderoga, the following January joining the Continental Army and taking part in Page Twenty-ttvo the capture of Burgoyne's Army, then in camp at West Point and at Valley Forge under Washington, in pursuit of the British Army to Monmouth, in the campaign of Wayne's Light Infantry at Stoney Point and Verplank's Point; thence in the army un- der Washington till the disbanding of the Continental forces, enduring all the hard- ships and dangers of military service till the end, retaining the confidence of his su- perior officers and the approbation of Washington — as evinced by his invitation to dine with him, I have traced, imperfect- ly it is true, but correct, I trust, in all essen- tials, the part he took in gaining the Inde- pendence of the American colonies. He then retired to his native place, poor indeed in this world's goods, as were all his compatriots. He removed thence to Newton Lower Falls about the year 1790, with his large and increasing family, de- pending alone through the blessings of the God of the armies of Israel on the labor of his hands for support. March thirtieth, 1818, he applied for a pension, which was allowed at the rate of $20.00 per month. On June seventeenth, 1835, forty sur- vivors of the Battle of Bunker Hill were present at the laying of the corner stone Page Tiventy-tkree Sermon by kev.A.L. Baury. Page 20 "Your fathers-- where are they?" Bureau of Pensions. of the monument. Doubtless, he was one of them. September 5, 1831, his wife de- parted this life at the age of seventy-five years. With his amiable and pious consort, he had lived in the happiest relations more than half a century ; and with her, had the satisfaction of seeing their children and children's children established in the world whose delight it has been to know their father and mother, and who rise up and call them blessed, "for they rest from their labors and their works do follow them." As a man he possessed great moral worth, the strictest integrity, uncommon purity of character, and in the most exemp- lary manner discharged the relative duties of life. As a husband, he was kind and af- fectionate ; an indulgent yet faithful par- ent, a constant and obliging friend and neighbor. Such, too, was his peaceful disposi- tion, that, during an unusually protracted life, never was he known to be at variance with a human being. Of him it can with truth be said, he had not an enemy in the world. He was a friend to his country. Trained in the School of Washington, the principles there im- Page Twenty-four bibed, he adhered to with firmness and con- stancy. Even when the vital flame was about to expire, he rejoiced in the prospect of that policy being resumed in the national counsels, which he believed would conduce to the safety, honor and welfare of the re- public. The evening of his days was peculiarly serene and happy. Sharing in that justice which the gen- eral government was late to render the of- ficers and soldiers of the Revolutionary con- test, his pecuniary resources were ample for all his purposes. Retaining in an unusual degree his mental powers and bodily strength, ad- vancing years brought none of the infirmi- ties and peevish humors that not unfre- quently attend gray hair. His society v/as agreeable to the young as well as to the old, and the occasional visits he made to his children and distant friends were always anticipated with pleas- ure and enjoyed with satisfaction. He was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati and for several successive years, one of its almoners, in dispensing its boun- ties to such members, their widows or or- phan children, as required assistance, and for whose benefit its funds were established. Page twenty-five His portrait by Clark of Cambridge is now in the possession of one of the family. Also his framed commission in the Army. Though educated among Christians of another communion, on the introduction of the Protestant Episcopal Church into his village, he at once espoused this good cause and having examined and approved its doctrines, his name is inscribed in the leg- islative act of their incorporation. When filling the office of warden, he discharged its duties acceptably and with exemplary fidelity; ever grateful for the establishment of this parish, and rejoicing in its success and prosperity. Above all, he was a humble and sin- cere Christian. Through the prolonged period of nearly 89 years, he possessed un- interrupted health, till a few months pre- ceding his death, when his vision became impaired. This calamity befalling him at the time when the sudden death of a be- loved son in a distant city was announced, tended to depress his spirits. Subsequently to these afflictions, he seemed pensive and abstracted, anticipat- ing no doubt that the time of his departure was at hand; yet amid his bereavements never manifesting in the slightest degree, Page Tiventy-six a murmuring thought nor uttering a repin- ing word. When confined for some days to what proved his dying apartment, the fortitude, equanimity and trust in God, that distin- guished him in life did not forsake him. On being informed that this would probably prove his last sickness, he was calm and un- disturbed, expressing a perfect willingness to submit to the divine will. Soon after, on December twenty-third, 1840, his peaceful spirit took its flight from earth, with the belief that he who had not merely fought the battles of his country, but under the banner of the cross, the good fight of faith had gone to receive from the Captain of his Salvation the unfading wreath of immortal blessedness. His funeral sermon was preached in St. Mary's Church, Newton Lower Falls, on Thursday, December twenty-fourth, by the Reverend A. L. Baury, the Rector. The text was taken from Zechariah 1-5 — "Your Fathers, Where Are They?" And when the interrogatory of the text is addressed to his posterity, "Your fathers, where are they?" — they will reply, "Their bodies rest in peace, but their names, inscribed in the Lamb's book of life, live forever and ever." Page Twenty-seven ilaasarijucftta Ard|*mfa Hooker, Zibeon, Sherburne. Drum- mer, Capt. Benjamin Builard's Company of Minute-men, Colonel Peirce's Regiment, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775; service, five days; also. Captain Ben- jamin Builard's Company, Colonel Jona- than Brewer's Regiment; muster roll dated August first, 1775 ; enlisted April twenty- fourth, 1775 ; service, three months, nine days; also. Sergeant, Captain Thomas Wil- lington's (late Captain Benjamin Builard's) Company, Colonel Asa Whitcomb's Regi- ment; muster roll dated Camp at Ticonder- oga, November twenty-seventh, 1776 ; en- listed October first, 1776 ; reported sick at Number Four; also, list of men raised to serve in the Continental Army from Colonel Builard's Regiment, as returned by Aaron Gardner, Captain, First Company, and Mos- es Perry, Lieutenant, Ninth Company ; resi- dence, Sherburne, engaged for town of Sherburne ; rank. Ensign ; joined Rufus Put- nam's Regiment; Continental Army pay ac- counts for service from January first, 1777, to December thirty-first, 1779 ; reported as serving ten months as Ensign, twenty-six months as Lieutenant; also, Third Ensign, Page Twenty-eight with rank of Second Lieutenant, return of officers belonging to Colonel Putnam's (Fifth) Regiment, made by Ezra Newhall, Lieutenant - Colonel Commandant; also Lieutenant, Colonel Putnam's Regiment; re- turn of officers for clothing, dated Boston, November twenty-fourth, 1778; also, same Regiment; petition addressed to the Coun- cil, dated Boston, December twenty-second, 1778, signed by said Hooker and others, asking for an order on the Board of War for greatcoats; petition granted in Coun- cil December twenty-second, 1778; also, Second Lieutenant, Captain Haffield White's Company, Colonel Rufus Putnam's (Fourth) Regiment; return of men entitled to gratuity ; approved April twenty-second, 1779; also. Lieutenant, Colonel Putnam's Regiment; Continental Army pay accounts for service from January 1, 1780, to Decem- ber thirty-first, 1780; also, Lieutenant, Fifth Massachusetts Regiment; list of offi- cers promoted in the Continental Army; commissioned July twenty-eigth, 1780; al- so Lieutenant, Captain Nathan Goodale's Company, Colonel Rufus Putnam's (Fifth) Regiment; muster rolls for January-April, 1781, dated Garrison at West Point; also, Colonel Putnam's (Fifth) Regiment; re- turns of effectives between January nine- teenth, 1781, and June first, 1781, dated Page Twenty-nine Garrison, West Point; reported on furlough at Sherburne by leave of Commandant Third Brigade from January seventeenth, 1781, furlough to expire April first, 1781; also, abstract for three months' pay due said Hooker, Lieutenant, Fifth Massachu- setts Regiment, he having been ordered to march to camp immediately with recruits, as returned by John Crane, Colonel of Ar- tillery, dated Boston, May twenty-second, 1781. (From Massachusetts Archives.) The Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutoinary War, Volume VIII, pages 222 and 223. Zibeon Hooker, Sherburne, Corporal, Captain Benjamin Bullard's Com- pany, Colonel Jonathan Brewer's Regi- ment; company's "returns", dated Prospect Hill, October sixth, 1795. Page 25. Page Thirty 4f» 3 '^ 3 > "4 00 o < •>4 •'J 3 "«4 0^ > '2. Dates of Enlistment or Appointment 3 a rtl 1 3 3 It 3* r n S 3* CA (6 a r 3 a r d M 3 9) 3 5 a C B 3 n 73 a 3 en W D3 s. 3* B n (t 3 c D a. n ^ 3" 3 a> re P3 C 3 5 ?3 C 3 3 > rt ft B cr 60 ft 1 2 en g CI ^ ^_ rT- M g ^ > i ^ ^ ^ ft W N ^ ^ 5^ H C/3 o C/) «> p* CTQ o o o H fD O o X o o K o "I ^ o C "" cr 3 cr S Under the Act of Congress approved May first, 1828, it was provided that each surviving officer of the Continental Army who was entitled to half pay by Resolve of October twenty-first, 1780, be authorized to receive the amount of his full pay, ac- cording to his rank in the line and to. con- tinue during his natural life. While I have no documentary evidence on this matter, it is reasonable to assume this was the amount of his pension in his later years, and that he received the full pay to which he was entitled as a Lieuten- ant when in the service. The Reverend Dr. Baury in his sermon, distinctly says his means were ample for his requirements. Page Thirty-two A&Ji^tt&a Number El^nt Report of Valley Forge Memorial Commission By Philip Reade In a most exhaustive and painstaking printed report by the Valley Forge Memor- ial Commission, issued in 1912 by General Philip Reade, is given a complete list of all the Massachusetts officers who served un- der Washington at this place in the winter of 1777 and 1778. Among these is Second Lieutenant Zibeon Hooker, Fifth Massa- chusetts Continental Regiment, commanded by Colonel Rufus Putnam. AinJu^ttJia Number Jnur The fac-simile of his autograph on page 4 was taken from the roll of the origi- nal members of the Society of the Cincin- nati in the Archives of the Society. Page Thirty-three At the time of his death, he was living with his daughter, Mrs. William Hurd, in the house, now standing (1915) at the cor- ner of Grove and Washington streets, New- ton Lower Falls. The house in which he lived in 1799 is also still standing on Washington street, Newton Lower Falls. His daughter, Ade- line, was born here. He has been described to the writer by his grand-daughter, Mira Hurd, who re- membered him when she was a child, as a man rather above the medium height, of a full figure and very erect in his bear- ing. He always wore his hair down his back in a queue. Another old resident recalls seeing him with his fishing pole over his shoulder, going to the river on a fishing trip, of which he was fond, conspicuous by his military bearing. Benjamin Neil, a very old resident of the "Falls" once related that the Captain was called on for a speech at the time peace was declared at the termination of the war of 1812 and mounting a log which was near, made an impromptu address. Page Thirty-four On the stone erected to his memory in St. Mary's churchyard, Newton Lower Falls, is inscribed the following tribute: ^ete Ues the ^^^^ of Zibeon Hooker an officer of the American Revolutionary Army whose public services, private virtues and Christian character, have embalmed his memory in the hearts of a grateful posterity. Died Dec. 23, 1840 -^Sed 89 yeats Page Thirty-five