More Misfortunes of Samuel Gerrish, Cowardly Colonel of Bunker Hill

by Bethany Groff Dorau and Alexander Cain

On July 23, 1775. Dr. Benjamin Church, a prominent Boston physician, member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and chairman of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, sent a coded letter to a British officer, Major Maurice Cane, stationed in occupied Boston.

"I sent (the supplies) down; and when they received them they sent them to Stoughton to be out of danger, even though they had formed the resolution, as before hinted, of fortifying Bunker' s Hill, which, together with the cowardice of the clumsy Gerrish and Colonel Scammons, was the lucky occasion of their defeat."

The "clumsy Gerrish" was, of course, Newbury(port)'s own Col. Samuel Gerrish, whose performance at the Battle of Bunker Hill included screaming at his men to flee, lying weeping on the ground, and hiding behind haystacks. Word had gotten around, enough so that the traitorous Dr. Church had laid blame for the defeat of the provincial troops at Bunker Hill right at his feet...

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This is the first of a series of articles about the early days of the American Revolution, and is supported by the MA250 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.

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More Misfortunes of Samuel Gerrish, Cowardly Colonel of Bunker Hill

by Bethany Groff Dorau and Alexander Cain

Benjamin Church's coded letter, and the decoded version sent to George Washington. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

On July 23, 1775. Dr. Benjamin Church, a prominent Boston physician, member of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and chairman of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, sent a coded letter to a British officer, Major Maurice Cane, stationed in occupied Boston.

"I hope this will reach you," he wrote. "Three attempts have I made without success. In effecting the last, the man was discovered in attempting his escape; but fortunately my letter was sewed in the waistband of his breeches. He was confined for a few days, during which you may guess my feelings; but a little art and a little money settled the matter." 

He then boasted about directing cannon and other supplies away from the Battle of Bunker Hill. "I sent (the supplies) down; and when they received them they sent them to Stoughton to be out of danger, even though they had formed the resolution, as before hinted, of fortifying Bunker' s Hill, which, together with the cowardice of the clumsy Gerrish and Colonel Scammons, was the lucky occasion of their defeat."

The "clumsy Gerrish" was, of course, Newbury(port)'s own Col. Samuel Gerrish, whose performance at the Battle of Bunker Hill included screaming at his men to flee, lying weeping on the ground, and hiding behind haystacks. Word had gotten around, enough so that the traitorous Dr. Church had laid blame for the defeat of the provincial troops at Bunker Hill right at his feet.

An aside - this coded letter, and the man who wrote it, deserve a story of their very own. Turned over to George Washington in September, 1775, it had been brought to Rhode Island by a woman who was asking around for someone to deliver a letter to a British officer. The letter was entrusted to a man who turned it over to Henry Ward, Secretary of Rhode Island, who sent it up to Washington in Cambridge. The suspicious woman, who turned out to be Dr. Church's lover, was summoned and eventually identified Church, who did not deny that he had written the letter, but refused to decipher it. Anyway, long story shorter, Church was arrested, imprisoned, then paroled, and then hopped a ship to the West Indies and was never seen again. A ripping yarn!

But I digress. Colonel Samuel Gerrish had been reported to General Artemas Ward, second-in-command to General Washington after the Battle of Bunker Hill, for his cowardly behavior. Unlike Church, Ward found it difficult to pin the blame on Gerrish, as the entire scene was so disorganized and chaotic.

General Artemas Ward (1727-1800) by Raphaelle Peale - Courtesy of Harvard Art Museums

One might think that after his performance at Bunker Hill, Col. Gerrish would be motivated to get his regiment in better shape. It would seem that he continued to be a thorn in the side of the administration, however, and received a nasty-gram from General Washington's secretary, Joseph Reed, on July 7 demanding that he return a full accounting of his "Men, Ammunition, and Blankets".

Then, on July 22, Washington ordered Gerrish to defend Chelsea, Malden, and Medford. Though Colonel Prescott's regiment was ordered to defend Sewall's Point, near the mouth of the Charles River in this order, Gerrish was stationed there as well. In the orderly book of Col. Henshaw, we find that on that same date, "the order was given for "Col. Gerrish's regiment to take post at the redoubt upon Sewall's Point."

Top: General Washington's secretary, Joseph Reed, Courtesy of the New York Public Library. Bottom: General Washington's orders for "Gerrish's regiment to furnish the companie for Chelsea, Malden, and Medford", July 23, 1775

In any case, there he was, in the fort at Sewall's Point, when, nine days later, on July 31, 1775, General Heath recorded that "a little before one o'clock, A. M., a British floating-battery came up the river within 300 yards of Sewall's Point and fired a number of shot at the American works, on both sides of the river."

It was another chance for Colonel Gerrish to redeem himself, and once again, he seems to have balked. Gerrish, commanding the position, made no attempt to repel the assault and hunkered down behind a wall, telling his men, “the rascals can do us no harm, and it would be a mere waste of powder to fire at them with our four-pounders (cannon)."

As evening set in, Gerrish ordered the lights of the fortification extinguished. In the darkness, the British continued the bombardment, although the cannonballs flew wide of the fort. After his behavior was reported, Gerrish was arrested.

On August 17, General Washington's orders recorded the court-martial of Colonel Gerrish. The following day, he was tried at Harvard University in the College Chapel for “conduct unworthy of an officer.” On August 19, he was found guilty.

As a result of the verdict, General George Washington ordered "Col Samuel Garish of the Massachusetts Forces, tried by a General Court Martial of which Brigadier Genl. Green was Presdt. is unanimously found guilty of the Charge exhibited against him, That he behaved unworthy an Officer; that he is guilty of a Breach of the 49th Article of the Rules and Regulations of the Massachusetts Army. The Court therefore sentence and adjudge, the said Col Garish, to be cashiered, and render'd incapable of any employment in the American Army--The General approves the sentence of the Court martial, and orders it to take place immediately."

Holden Chapel, scene of the court marshal of Colonel Gerrish. Courtesy of Harvard University

General Washington was quite blunt in his assessment of the leadership of the the likes of Colonel Gerrish, and pleased with their punishment. In a private letter, Washington wrote, "the People of this Government have obtained a Character which they by no means deserved—their Officers generally speaking are the most indifferent kind of People I ever saw. I have already broke one Colo. and five Captain’s for Cowardice, & for drawing more Pay & Provision’s than they had Men in their Companies...I daresay the Men would fight very well (if properly Officered) although they are an exceeding dirty & nasty people. Had they been properly conducted at Bunkers Hill (on the 17th of June) or those that were there properly supported, the Regulars would have met with a shameful defeat; & a much more considerable loss than they did...it was for their behaviour on that occasion that the above Officers were broke, for I never spared one that was accused of Cowardice but brot ’em to immediate Tryal.

Washington wrote to fellow Virginian Richard Henry Lee that he had punished "one Colo. and two Captains for Cowardly behaviour in the action on Bunker’s Hill.” It was reported to John Adams that Gerrish had been punished for “Backwardness in Duty on the 17th. of June.”

Surprisingly, many American officers, including the judge advocate presiding over the hearing, declared Gerrish's punishment to be too severe. Following his removal from command, Gerrish returned to Newbury. Despite his court-martial and damaged reputation, he still had enough support in Newbury to be elected to the General Court as their representative in 1776.

Samuel Gerrish, now no longer officially a colonel, continued to be addressed on occasion as Col. Gerrish in his private papers. In the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum's Phillips Library is Gerrish's account book, in which some creditors address him as such.

Even without a military role, Gerrish continued to support the patriot cause in other ways. In his account book is also contained records of his procurement of hay for the military's horses in Cambridge, and the enlistment of Newbury(port) men to serve in the troops leaving soon for Canada under Benedict Arnold. But that, my friends, is a story for another time...

Alex Cain is the author of "We Stood Our Ground: Lexington in the First Year of the American Revolution". A new edition of this book is available here.

A note from executive director Bethany Groff Dorau:



You may not think that a history museum is a place that inspires mirth, awe, even nausea on a regular basis, but I am here to tell you that wherever you are in the building, at some point someone will come running out and say, with a giggle or a gasp, "you have GOT to see/hear/smell THIS!"

And so, we decided to share some of these moments with you every so often. Our inaugural object was discovered by Sierra Gitlin, and had the entire office yelling "you put it WHERE?" At once poignant - this is a treatment for the nearly dead after all, and, well, a bit hilarious, this dubious medical advice had us looking up "fundament" (don't do it), and pondering obscure uses for mustard.

So now, I give you Sierra's submission for the first edition of Weird, Wild, Wonderful.

While cataloging a significant recent donation of books, pamphlets, and documents dating back as far as the 1770’s I found a small booklet, about 3x5 inches. It was printed here in Newburyport in 1803, and had a lovely hand marbled paper cover…when I looked inside the title page read “The Institution of the Merrimack Humane Society with the Rules for Regulating Said Society and the Methods of Treatment to be Used With Persons Apparently Dead.” Huh???

Humane Society? Surely something about rescuing animals, right? Wrong. It’s a club dedicated to the “art of resuscitation,” a society dedicated to spreading knowledge of the latest modes of treatment to save victims of drowning or suffocation, and for rewarding those who make “active exertions to save the lives of their fellow-creatures.” The Merrimack River was recognized as particularly dangerous, with many lives lost each year to drowning or hypothermia. Such an organization was a necessity in this port city to save lives. Annual dues were $1 per year, or $10 for a lifetime membership, and along with the Society’s by-laws and meeting schedule, the booklet contained instructions for reviving someone who appeared dead but was in fact only mostly dead, some of which were:

1.     Let respiration be imitated, by inserting the pipe of a pair of bellows into the nostril.

2.     With the lungs expanded, use the Electrical Machine (your guess is as good as mine) to shock the heart, then allow the lungs to empty. Repeat.

3.     The smoke of tobacco is to be thrown up the fundament by means of the Fumigator. (Yes, this practice is where the expression originates)

4.     But wait, it gets worse!

5.     If the tobacco doesn’t do the trick, next it’s a half pint of madeira mixed with cinnamon or lavender and half a drachm of pure spirit of ammonium chloride, or “Sal Ammoniac.” Down the hatch you might imagine. Nope. Into the fundament.

6.     Still dead? Try some warm water mixed with mustard and turpentine, incorporated into the yolk of an egg. Again, funnel, meet fundament.

7.     STILL dead? A strong infusion of horseradish root, 12 oz of it, mixed with a half pint of pure Sal Ammoniac. Straight. Into. The. Fundament. 

8.     Rub the victim’s arms and legs with flannels or bare hands to warm them, tickle the nostrils with a feather, and offer snuff to induce sneezing.

9.     When natural respiration is restored, the patient should be put to bed with his head properly raised, with some cordial draught to promote perspiration.

I’m no doctor but I’m guessing lifesaving methods have changed somewhat? Even so, be careful out there folks. Our Mighty Merrimack is no joke!

Sierra's comment about this illustration - "just use your imagination". :-)

Something Is Always Cooking ...

*Oatmeal, Cranberry, Pecan, Chocolate "Kitchen Sink" Cookies

It's that time of the year - when it's not cold enough to justify putting the heat on yet, (if you play the classic New England game of "How long can you hold out?") but any excuse to turn on the oven in the evening is welcome. These lumpy, homey cookies are part "what do I have kicking around in my cupboards?" while also being part granola bar (or a good excuse to eat several of these in one sitting sort of way). They are loaded with oats, fruit, nuts and dark chocolate.

-Shelley, operations manager

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups Steel Cut oats (rolled oats are ok too)

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (or dried cherries)

3/4 cup extra dark chocolate chips (Ghiradelli 72%)

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (Guittard 63%)

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips (Guittard 46%) (really any combo works)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix softened butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in one bowl.

Mix flour, salt, baking soda and oats in another bowl.

Combine wet and dry ingredients, when mixed, add chips, nuts and fruit.

At this point it will become obvious that the best way to mix this cookie dough is to abandon your spoon, put on some gloves and mix it with your hands.

Scoop dough into golf ball sized amounts and bake on a parchment covered cookie sheet for 13 - 15 minutes.

This dough also freezes really well. Often a double batch is made as it's easy to roll up logs of cookie dough in wax paper and store it in freezer bags for easy access to fresh baked cookies at a moments notice.

*Note: Most recipes have more of a "cookie" to "stuff" ratio; this recipe uses the cookie dough more as glue to hold together the "stuff." They are messy looking but delicious!

Puzzle Me This...

The Seat of war in New England, by an American volunteer, with the marches of the several corps sent by the Colonies towards Boston, with the attack on Bunkers-Hill. London, Printed for R. Sayer & J. Bennett, 1775. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Click the image to do the puzzle