David PERRY

                   Historical information included in notes.







    
Recollections of anOld Soldier:
The Life of Captain David Perry   A soldier of the French and Revolutionary Wars containing many extraordinary occurrences relating to his own private history, and an account of some interesting events in the history of the times in which he lived, no-where else recorded. Written by Himself . (1819 ) edited by D.G. Jones © 1998 Web Site authored & created by D.G. Jones from the Combined Electronic Edition, © D.G. Jones, 1998, derived from first edition (Windsor, Vermont, 1822) and subsequent other editions.  Copyright  © 1998 to the electronic edition by D.G. Jones.Copyright  © 1999 to the Web edition by D.G. Jones.All rights to annotation, chapter divisions, combination and/or compilation of editions, etc., reserved, including translation rights.  This is a unique text, the result of 30 years reasearch into the life and times of David Perry, and a meticulous comparison of all editions through 1998. All rights to Web Site material reserved (unless another copyright holder is specified).  This edition may be duplicated only on a very limited basis for research purposes or personal use if copyright data is included as outlined at How to Cite this Site .  It may not be duplicated for profit or any other commercial purpose, or for any kind of multiple distribution including the internet, without first obtaining written permission  from the author/editor  of this site/electronic edition.  This edition dated: Thursday, 19 August 1999. With updates through the 2008. 
LIFE  OF  DAVID  PERRY. PART ONE.  THE MASSACHUSETTS YEARS.(Chapters One through Five Inclusive.) 
   Chapter IChildhood 1741-1757.Parentage, King George's War, and the Beginning of the French & Indian War.   


   was born August 8th, (O. S. ) 1741  in the town of Rehoboth , Mass.  I was the oldest child of Eliakim and Sarah Perry .  The first thing of consequence that occurs to my mind, was the transactions relating to the war between the English and French .  An army  was raised  in the New-England  States, to go against Cape Breton , under Gen.  Pepperell , at which time I was in my fifth year.  My father and one of his brothers, and also one of my mother's brothers , enlisted into this army.   And what strengthens my memory with regard to these events, one of my uncles above mentioned, whose name was Abner Perry, was killed at the taking of the Island  Battery .    
Nothing of consequence took place until the fall after I was seven years old, when my mother died, leaving four small children, viz: one brother  and two sisters . There was something very singular took place respecting her sickness.  She went with my father, to visit his relations  at Eastown .  They rode on horse-back.  While they were there, on Lord's day, I was at play with my brother and two little sisters, and it appeared to me that I saw my mother ride by on the same horse she rode away on, and dressed in the same clothes.  I mentioned the circumstance to my brother and sisters at the time; but she rode out of my sight immediately.  At this time she was taken sick at Easton , in which condition they brought her home; and she died a few days afterwards.  In consequence of this event, my father broke up house-keeping, [and put out his children ]. Myself and sisters went to live with our uncle David Joy , the brother of my mother who, as I before said, went with my father to Cape Breton .  I lived with my uncle, (who treated me very kindly ) until my fifteenth year; when I was placed with  Mr. David Walker , in  Dighton , Mass. [, to learn the trade  of tanner  and shoe-maker .] 
About this time war  again broke out  between the English and French , and it raged sorely in our part of the country, especially near the lakes.  Our people made a stand at the south end of Lake George , where they built a fort, and another about 14 miles below, on the Hudson River, called Fort Edward .  In 1755, a bloody battle  was fought at the half-way-house, between Fort Edward and Lake George. Gen. Johnson  commanded the English forces; and under him Maj. Rodgers  commanded the Rangers .  They had a number of sore battles with the French and Indians, and lost a great many of our best men.  In the year 1757, Gen. Mont Calm came against Fort George , with a large army of French and Indians, and obliged the garrison to surrender; after which, contrary to his express agreement , he let loose his Indians  upon our men, and massacred  a great many of them. 

LIFE  OF  DAVID  PERRY. PART ONE.  THE MASSACHUSETTS YEARS. (cont.)(Chapters One through Five Inclusive.) 
Chapter IITiconderoga1758First Campaign. Rank: Private. Abercrombie's Unsuccessful Assault. [The Legend of Ticonderoga ]  


   his year, in August, I was sixteen years old; at which age the young lads of that day were called into the training-bands.  In the Spring of 1758, I was warned to training, and there were recruiting officers on the parade-ground, to enlist men for the next campaign.  I enlisted into Capt. Job Winslow 's company, of Col. Prebble 's regiment, to serve eight months.-- People said I would not "pass muster," as I was small of my age ; but there was no difficulty about that.  When the company was full, we marched first to Worceser, staid there a few days, and then marched to Old Hadley.  We remained here about a week.  From this place we crossed the river to Northampton , where we drew five days' provisions  -- left the place in the afternoon, and encamped a few miles out of town, in the woods for the night. - In that day there were no human habitations from Northampton, to within ten miles of Albany .  There was a small picket Fort in what was then called Pantocet Woods , commanded by Col. Williams.  We had no other road than marked trees to direct our course -- no bridges on which to cross the streams; some of which we waded; others we passed on trees felled by our men: and for five successive nights we lay on the ground.  We arrived at Greenbush , and, after a few days' tarry, marched up the North River  to a place called Setackuk , where the Indians had driven off, captured, or destroyed the inhabitants.   We here took a number of horses to draw the cannon to Lake George, but not having horses enough, some of the cannon were drawn by men.   Part of the men went in Batteaus  with the provisions.  When we arrived at the Lake, the army, consisting of British  and Americans, amounted to about 20,000 men.  It was commanded  by Gen. Abrecombe , and Lord Howe was second in command.  We encamped there until boats and provisions enough were collected to carry us across the Lake, with cannon , &c. to attack  Ticonderoga .  We arrived at the Narrows  the second morning after our embarkation, where we expected to be attacked by the enemy.
   
Major Rodgers , with his Rangers was the first to land.  He was joined by Lord Howe and his party; and we had proceeded but a short distance into the woods, before we were met by the enemy, and a brisk fire ensued.  It was the first engagement I had ever seen, and the whistling of balls, and roar of musketry terrified me not a little.  At length our regiment formed among the trees, behind which the men kept stepping from their ranks for shelter.  Col. Prebble, who, I well remember, was a harsh man, swore he would knock the first man down who should step out of his ranks; which greatly surprised me, to think that I must stand still to be shot at.  Pretty soon, however, they brought along some wounded Frenchmen; and when I came to see the blood run so freely, it put new life into me.  The battle proved a sore one for us.  Lord Howe and a number of other good men, were killed. 
   
The army moved on that day to within a short distance of the enemy, and encamped for the night.  In the morning we had orders to move forward again, in a column three deep, in order to storm the enemy's breast-works, known in this country by the name of "the Old French Lines."  Our orders were to "run to the breast-work, and get in if we could." But their lines were full, and they killed our men so fast, that we could not gain it.  We got behind trees, logs and stumps, and covered ourselves as we could from the enemy's fire.  The ground was strewed with the dead and dying.  It happened that I got behind a white-oak stump, which was so small that I had to lay on my side, and stretch myself; the balls striking the ground within a hand's breadth of me every moment, and I could hear the men screaming, and see them dying all around me.  I lay there some time.  A man could not stand erect, without being hit, any more than he could stand out in a shower, without having drops of rain fall upon him; for the balls came by hands-full.  It was a clear day -- a little air stirring.  Once in a while the enemy would cease firing a minute or two, to have the smoke clear away, so that they might take better aim.  In one of these intervals I sprang from my perilous situation, and gained a stand which I thought would be more secure, behind a large pine log, where several of my comrades had already taken shelter: but the balls came here as thick as ever.  One of the men raised his head a little above the log, and a ball struck him in the centre of the forehead, and tore up his scalp clear back to the crown.  He darted back, and the blood ran merrily; and, rubbing his face, said it was a bad blow, and no one was disposed to deny it, for he looked bad enough.   
   
We lay there till near sunset; and, not receiving orders from any officer, the men crept off, leaving all the dead, and most of the wounded.  We had two of our company killed, and a number wounded.  Our captain (Winslow ) received a ball in his wrist, which passed up the fleshy part of his arm, and he carried it there as long as he lived, which was a number of years: he was afterwards raised to the rank of Colonel. Our Lieutenant was wounded by a shot in the leg, and one of our Sargeants received a ball in his arm, which he carried with him to his grave. We got away the wounded of our company; but left a great many crying for help, which we were unable to afford them.  I suppose, that as soon as we left the ground, the enemy let loose his Indians upon them: for none of those that we left behind were ever heard of afterwards.  We started back to our boats without any orders, and pushed out on the Lake for the night.  We left between 6 and 7000, in killed and wounded, on the field of battle, which I believe is a greater number than ever was lost on our side, in one day, in all the battles that have been fought in America.  We went over the Lake with about 21,000 men, in high spirits, with all kinds  of music ; but returned back melancholy and still, as from a funeral, and took our old stand at the south end of the Lake.   
   
A great deal was said by the subaltern officers and men, at that time, with regard to the conduct of the commanding General.  I was but a boy, and could have but little judgment about it then; but, from later experience and reflection, I think it looks more like the conduct  of a Hull , a Wilkinson , or a Hampton , than li