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 HIPPIE TABin PRESENTATION 
 
 BY SONS OF THE REVOLUTION OF THE 
 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE 3. &. &. 
 
 OCTOBER TWENTY- FOURTH || 
 NINETEEN HUNDRED AND TEN II 
 
WHIPPLE 
 TABLET PRESENTATION 
 
 By Sons of the Revolution of the 
 State of New Hampshire 
 
 October 24, 1910 
 
 Concord, N. H. 
 
 The Rumford Press 
 
 1910 
 
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 Gifi 
 JUL -^ i»U 
 
WILLIAM WHIPPLE, 
 
 Soldier and Statesman, 
 
 Born at Kittert, Me., 
 January 14, 1730, 
 
 Died in Portsmouth, N. H., 
 November 28, 1785. 
 
 Elected to Continental Congress in January, 1776. 
 
 He signed the Declaration of Independence. 
 
 As Brigadier-General of N. H. Troops he assisted in 
 
 negotiating the terms of General Burgoyne's surrender 
 
 at Saratoga, N. Y., in 1777. 
 
 He was Judge of the Superior Court. 
 
 Presented by N. H. Sons of the Revolution, 
 June, 1910. 
 
WHIPPLE TABLET PRESENTATION 
 
 The Whipple School Building was built by 
 the city of Portsmouth in 1888 on Mason's Hill, 
 so called, on State Street opposite the former 
 residence of the famous Jeremiah Mason from 
 whom the hill takes its name. 
 
 At the request of many patriotic citizens, 
 the building was named after Gen. William Whip- 
 ple, one of the signers of the Declaration of 
 Independence, who lived in Portsmouth on the 
 westerly side of Market Street in what is now 
 known as the Ladd mansion. 
 
 On November 20, 1891, an oil portrait of 
 General Whipple was presented to the city of 
 Portsmouth by Storer Post, Grand Army of the 
 Republic, and a notable address on this occasion 
 was given by Rear Admiral Joseph Foster, U. 
 S. N., now retired. The portrait was hung in 
 the principal's room in the Whipple School 
 Building and is now there. 
 
 Recently four gentlemen of Portsmouth, all 
 direct descendants of ancestors who fought in 
 
the American Revolution, conceived the happy 
 idea of presenting to the City in the name of 
 the Sons of the Revolution of the State of New 
 Hampshire, a bronze tablet in commemoration 
 of William Whipple and his patriotic deeds, 
 and placing this tablet at the main entrance to 
 the school building. 
 
 These four gentlemen are, — 
 
 Marcus M. Collis 
 Stephen Decatur 
 Alfred Langdon Elwyn 
 Henry A. Yeaton 
 
 Marcus M. Collis is a direct descendant of 
 John Collis, whose Revolutionary battles in- 
 cluded Bunker Hill, Saratoga and the Rhode 
 Island campaign. 
 
 Stephen Decatur is a direct descendant of 
 the famous Commodore Stephen Decatur who 
 was preeminent among those who fought on 
 the sea for a new and struggling nation. 
 
 Alfred Langdon Elwyn is a direct descendant 
 of Gov. John Langdon, one of the foremost among 
 New Hampshire patriots, statesmen and war- 
 riors. 
 
 Henry A. Yeaton is a direct descendant of 
 Moses Yeaton, whose revolutionary record shows 
 that he was first a private, then a lieutenant, 
 then a captain in the Revolutionary army. 
 
The tablet was put in place on the Whipple 
 School Building on October twenty fourth, 1910, 
 at noon, in the presence of the school teachers 
 of the city, many citizens and some six hundred 
 pupils from the High and Whipple schools, all 
 of whom were massed in State Street in front 
 of the building. 
 
 The exercises were opened by the superin- 
 tendent of schools, Mr. James A. McDougall, 
 who introduced the Rev. Alfred Langdon Elwyn, 
 who made the preliminary address. He was 
 followed by John W. Kelley, Esq., of the New 
 Hampshire bar, a native and resident of Ports- 
 mouth, who delivered the principal address. 
 The mayor of the city, Mr. Edward H. Adams, 
 accepted the tablet in behalf of the city, in well 
 chosen words, and the exercises closed with the 
 singing of "America" by all present. 
 
PRESENTATION 
 
 Alfred Langdon Elwyn 
 
 Rev. Alfred Langdon Elwyn in presenting the 
 tablet in behalf of the Sons of the Revolution 
 spoke as follows : 
 
 I appear before you as a descendant of Gover- 
 nor John Langdon, who was ready to sacrifice 
 himself and all he possessed to save his country 
 from the British Parliament. He fitted out Gen. 
 John Stark and fought under him in the battles 
 of Bennington, Saratoga and Newport during the 
 war of the Revolution. As one of the four mem- 
 bers of the United States Senate from this state, 
 Governor Langdon should have signed the De- 
 claration of Independence, but the presiding 
 officer, Hon. John Hancock sent him home to 
 build a ship on his own island in the river Piscat- 
 aqua. So his name does not appear with the other 
 signers, Bartlett, Thornton and Whipple. As 
 presiding officer of the Senate, he announced to 
 General Washington he had the honor to announce 
 to him his election as president of the United 
 States, the country which he had fought for. 
 
This tablet is presented by the Sons of the Rev- 
 olution of the State of New Hampshire. The 
 present membership consists of Alfred Langdon 
 Elwyn, Marcus M. CoUis, Henry A. Yeaton and 
 Stephen Decatur. 
 
ADDRESS ON WILLIAM WHIPPLE 
 
 John W. Kelley, Esq. 
 
 Yesterday the greatest question was decided that was ever 
 debated in America; and greater perhaps never was or will 
 be decided among men. A resolution was passed without 
 one dissenting colony "that these United States are and of 
 right ought to be free and independent States." The day is 
 passed. The Fourth of July 1776 will be a memorable epoch 
 in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be cele- 
 brated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary 
 festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliver- 
 ance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty God. It ought 
 to be solemnized with pomp, shows, games, sports, guns, 
 bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of the continent 
 to the other, from this time forward forever. You will think 
 me transported with enthusiasm but I am not. I am well 
 aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost to 
 maintain this declaration, and support and defend these 
 States, yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of light and 
 glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the 
 means, and that posterity will triumph although you and I 
 may rue, which I hope we shall not. 
 
 So wrote home to his wife in Massachusetts, John 
 Adams on the fifth day of July, 1776, of the adop- 
 tion of the Declaration of Independence. 
 
 Fifty-six patriots affixed their names to that 
 wonderful declaration, all but eight of whom were 
 
 10 
 
born in America. Of the eight, two were from 
 England, three from Ireland, two from Scotland 
 and one from Wales. Of the four delegates rep- 
 resenting the New Hampshire colony or province 
 one, Matthew Thornton of Londonderry, was 
 born in Ireland; one, Josiah Bartlett, was born 
 in Massachusetts; one, WiUiam Whipple, was 
 born in Maine; and one John Langdon was born 
 in New Hampshire. The latter, however, did 
 not sign because at the time he was engaged in 
 official duties that engaged him importantly 
 elsewhere. 
 
 It is difficult without much study of con- 
 temporaneous history to get a proper viewpoint 
 of the tremendous issues involved in signing and 
 putting forth to the world this document. You 
 should consider the thirteen colonies, their poverty, 
 their lack of resources, their lack of cohesiveness. 
 You must consider the lack of transportation 
 facilities, the lack of ready and quick means of 
 intercommunication, the strength of the Tories, 
 the hostility of the Indian tribes, the wildness of 
 the country, the greatness of the mother country 
 in the world at large, and the strength of her army 
 and navy in America. You must consider that 
 the signing of such a document put the signers, 
 in the eyes of the English nation, in the traitor 
 and rebel class, each with a price upon his head, 
 and shameless death his only portion if caught. 
 
 11 
 
and a homeless wanderer if the colonial struggle 
 turned against him. 
 
 In the words of another: 
 
 They pledged their Hves, their fortunes, and their sacred 
 honor; and not one was false to the pledge — not one. They 
 suffered much; some died from hardships encountered; some 
 were imprisoned; many were impoverished, and all were 
 tempted by promises, and menaced by the wrath of what 
 seemed, for a time, an earthly omnipotence, but all stood firm. 
 There was doubt previous to the declaration — none after. 
 Every name shone brighter as the darkness thickened. Each 
 patriot was a sun that stood fast — until the battle of in- 
 dependence had been fought and won. 
 
 The Declaration of Independence was first 
 publicly proclaimed in Portsmouth from the steps 
 of the old State House on July 18, 1776. This 
 State House then stood on Market Square and 
 faced King Street and at the conclusion of the 
 reading, by acclamation of the people present, the 
 name of the street was changed to Congress 
 Street. Local historians claim that these steps 
 are now the very same used at the entrance 
 of the Daniel Webster house on Vaughan Street, 
 whence they were removed when the old State 
 House was dismembered in 1837. 
 
 The signing of the declaration is regarded by all 
 Americans as the greatest material act of all time. 
 By the world at large it is regarded as one of the 
 few great events of history. And this brings me to 
 my particular text today. Gen. William Whipple 
 
 12 
 
of Portsmouth for whom this schoolhouse is named 
 and in whose honor this tablet is today unveiled 
 and to venerate the memory of whom we are 
 here today gathered together. 
 
 He was born across the river in the township 
 of Kittery in 1730, and died in Portsmouth in 
 1785. His span of life was, therefore, but fifty- 
 five years. Take from that period the twenty- 
 nine years of youth and time spent at sea, and 
 you have left the twenty-five years into which he 
 crowded more action, devotion and self-sacrifice 
 for the general welfare, than is commonly allotted 
 to mortals, and more than could be* in the case of 
 any man who had less of versatility, industry 
 capacity and righteousness. After a common 
 school education he went to sea in a lowly capac- 
 ity, yet at the age of twenty-nine, when he 
 abandoned the sea as a profession, he had risen 
 to the rank of master or captain and had sailed 
 all the known seas. 
 
 At the age of thirty he is found in business 
 with his brother in Portsmouth, and this business 
 they conducted successfully and without inter- 
 ruption until 1774 at which time William Whipple 
 then being forty-four years of age, saw clearly 
 a conflict over the separation and independence 
 of the colonies was not far off. 
 
 General Whipple lost no time in espousing the 
 patriot cause. In January, 1775, we find him 
 
 13 
 
elected by the people of Portsmouth to the Pro- 
 vincial Assembly or General Court to be held at 
 Exeter. In May, 1775, we find him made a 
 member of the Provincial Committee of Safety. 
 
 Later in the same year we find him a member 
 of the Committee of Safety of the town of Ports- 
 mouth. 
 
 When the New Hampshire provincial form of 
 government was changed late in 1775 to a house 
 of representatives and a council of twelve we 
 find him in January, 1776, elected as one of the 
 councillors. On January 23, 1776, he was elected 
 a delegate or representative from New Hamp- 
 shire to the Congress or Federal Assembly to be 
 held at Philadelphia and on February 29th of the 
 same year he took his seat there. 
 
 He was reelected to the same position in 1777, 
 1778 and 1779 at the end of which term of service 
 he retired because of physical disabilities. 
 
 You might well suppose that the duties of the 
 Federal Congress during those four years would 
 tax the endurance and fully occupy the time of 
 the members to the exclusion of all other duties 
 whether they were personal or local. But what 
 was the fact as to General Whipple? 
 
 In 1777 Burgoyne's invasion was in process. 
 Ticonderoga had fallen. The British army com- 
 posed of English veterans, hired auxiliaries, Tor- 
 ies and Indians, was forcing its way down the 
 
 14 
 
Hudson Valley. The British troops from New 
 York City were marching up the same valley to 
 effect a junction with the invading army. New 
 England was in serious danger of being completely 
 and for all time cut off from all communication 
 with, and help from the other colonies. The fed- 
 erated colonies were about to be cut into two 
 pieces, neither of which, alone, could successfully 
 continue the struggle, and each of which would 
 fall a prey to the hostile armies of Britain. Bur- 
 goyne's invasion must be stopped. Burgoyne's 
 army must be crushed, overpowered, captured, 
 before it could be joined by the British troops 
 from New York. The fate of the Declaration 
 of Independence depended upon it. The fate of 
 the struggle of your forefathers for their in- 
 dependence depended upon it. In the balance 
 depended your existence today, and mine, and 
 your descendants and mine. On it depended the 
 light of the torch of liberty. On it depended the 
 birth and stability of republican institutions. On 
 the one hand was success, freedom, life; on the 
 other, slavery, misery, poverty, ignominious 
 death. 
 
 General Whipple saw these things. His vision 
 was clear as to the momentousness of the issue. 
 Did he sit in his seat in Congress in Philadephia? 
 No. He hastened home to Portsmouth, our 
 Portsmouth. New Hampshire raised two bri- 
 
 15 
 
gades of troops with several regiments in each. 
 General Stark was placed in command of one, 
 and General Whipple was placed in command of 
 the other. What General Stark did with his 
 command at Bennington is known to you all. 
 He destroyed a material part of the Burgoyne 
 army there, and placed the first great obstacle 
 in the way of a British retreat or advance. 
 
 General Whipple placed himself and his brigade 
 with the American troops at Saratoga, and he 
 himself took a commanding part in the final 
 events leading up to the surrender of Burgoyne — 
 justly regarded as one of the seven great events 
 in the world's history. 
 
 We find him delegated to conduct in behalf of 
 America the delicate negotiations looking to the 
 surrender. We find him successful in that great 
 task. And after the surrender, we find him com- 
 missioned to conduct the captive troops to Boston 
 harbor. This also was successfully done. Im- 
 mediately thereafter, we find him again attending 
 to his duties as a member of the Congress at 
 Philadelphia, but when the Rhode Island campaign 
 seemed to need the warrior more than the nation 
 seemed to need the statesman, we find him there, 
 in 1778, leading the New Hampshire troops in the 
 army commanded by General Sullivan. At the 
 conclusion of this campaign we find him again at 
 his post in the Congress at Philadelphia, and there 
 
 16 
 
he remained as long as his health would per- 
 mit. 
 
 What wonder, then, that physical infirmities 
 overcame him, so much so that he was compelled 
 to retire from such a strenuous life? He was at 
 home in Portsmouth in 1780, where he declined 
 the federal appointment of commissioner of ad- 
 miralty. We find him a member of the New 
 Hampshire legislature from 1780 to 1784. Fur- 
 thermore, he reluctantly accepted and held from 
 1782 to 1784 the position of receiver of the 
 United States for New Hampshire, a position 
 troublesome, and most difficult to fill, carrying 
 with it as it did, the necessity of collecting local 
 moneys for the federal government at a time 
 when obtaining money from the colonists for 
 any purpose, was almost an impossibility, be- 
 cause they had so little. 
 
 But this was not the sum of his public duties 
 at this time. The Congress appointed him presi- 
 dent of a federal court to try a dispute between 
 the states of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and 
 this duty he performed. 
 
 And as if his life was not already full of honors 
 and duties," in 1782 he was appointed to, and ac- 
 cepted a judgeship of, the superior court of judi- 
 cature and held the position until his death. 
 
 When the declaration was presented to the 
 Congress at Philadelphia for signatures of the 
 
 17 
 
delegates, the northernmost colony was called 
 first, and Josiah Bartlett of our neighboring town 
 of Kingston was the first name called, who voted 
 in its favor, and William Whipple of Portsmouth 
 was the second who voted aye, and his signature 
 is the sixth among the signers. 
 
 Consider this life of activity, of versatility, of 
 honesty, of patriotism, of unselfishness. Take 
 inspiration from it. Pattern after it. Visit the 
 house here in which he lived, standing as it does 
 nobly and grandly. Walk under the great tree 
 which his hand planted, and which today flourishes 
 and is in full life and vigor as you would expect 
 of all things that sprang from him. 
 
 What wonder is it that the society which 
 springs from the loins of those who fought in the 
 wars in which he fought; which descended from 
 the men who fought and bled in the conflicts 
 which his statesmanship on the one hand, and 
 his military leadership on the other, helped 
 guide, rejoices today in the opportunity to grace 
 his memory with this tablet? All glory to him! 
 All praise to them! William Whipple! Rare is 
 the human, worthy to deal fittingly with that 
 name and its possessor! I recognize my own 
 inability to properly and briefly deal with such a 
 proud possession of your native city and my own. 
 And above all he was and did, his memory by all 
 Americans will be chiefly cherished because he 
 
 18 
 
was one of the SIGNERS, one of the immortal 
 fifty-six who placed their names to that which is 
 the beginning and the foundation of all this 
 country is and may be; of all we are and may 
 be. 
 
 When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary 
 for one people to dissolve the political bands which have con- 
 nected them with another, and to assume, among the powers 
 of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws 
 of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to 
 the opinions of mankind requires, that they should declare 
 the causes which impel them to the separation. 
 
 We hold these truths to be self-evident: — that all men are 
 created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with 
 certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, 
 and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, 
 governments are instituted among men, deriving their just 
 powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any 
 form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is 
 the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute 
 a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, 
 and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem 
 most likely to effect their safety and happiness. . . . 
 
 We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of 
 America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to the 
 Supreme Judge of the world, for the rectitude of our inten- 
 tions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people 
 of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these 
 United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and in- 
 dependent States; . . . and that, as free and independ- 
 ent States, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, 
 contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other 
 acts and things which independent States may of right do. 
 
 19 
 
And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance 
 on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge 
 to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. 
 
 This paper may be closed in no more fitting 
 way than by quoting from one of our greatest 
 statesmen, who in eulogy of the signers said : 
 
 They are no more, they are dead. But how little is there 
 of the great and good which can die! To their country they 
 yet live, and live forever. They live in all that perpetuates 
 the remembrance of men on earth: in the recorded proofs of 
 their own great actions, in the offspring of their intellect, in 
 the deep engraved lines of public gratitude, and in the respect 
 and homage of mankind. They live in their example; and 
 they live, emphatically, and will live, in the influence which 
 their lives and efforts, their principles and opinions, now 
 exercise, and will continue to exercise, on the affairs of men, 
 not only in their own country, but throughout the civilized 
 world. A superior and commanding human intellect, a truly 
 great man, when Heaven vouchsafes so rare a gift, is not a 
 temporary flame, burning bright for a while, and then ex- 
 piring, giving place to returning darkness. It is rather a 
 spark of fervent heat, as well as radiant light, with power to 
 enkindle the common mass of human mind; so that when it 
 glimmers in its own decay, and finally goes out in death, no 
 night follows; but it leaves the world all light, all on fire, 
 from the potent contact of its own spirit. 
 
 84 
 

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