Radio Script #698

Little Talks on Common Things

October 2, 1966

Through the courtesy of Mrs. Emily Heath Hall I have been permitted to examine some of the papers left by Waterville’s early prominent citizen, Asa Redington. I have often spoken about that interesting man on this program over the past 18 years.

He was a veteran of the Revolution — not one of those three-month enlisted men who never saw a battle, but a soldier who served for five years in the Continental Army, who fought in a dozen battles and was present when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. He came to Vassalboro, where he worked for Nehemiah Getchell and married Getchell’s daughter. Together Redington and his father-in-law came to Waterville and built the first Ticonic Falls dam across the Kennebec. In 1812 Redington built the big house on Silver Street that is now the Redington Museum of the Waterville Historical Society.

One of the precious Redington items in Mrs. Hall’s collection is the original roster of General George Washington’s personal guard, of which at one time during the war Asa Redington was a member. It is a narrow strip of heavy paper, with the roster names on one side, and on the other side the words: “Captain Hon. Commander of His Excellency’s Quarters, Rocky Hill. October 22, 1783. Nehemiah Preston, Sgt. with the Commander.”

Non-corns in that guard were Sgts. Preston, Holt and Borris. Corporals were Cutler, Holt and Redington. The last was our Asa Redington. Two other members were Fife Edison and Drum Douglas. Then follow the names of 28 privates. Among them are such well known Yankee names as Baker, Eaton, Gordon, King and Morrill.

Letters written in 1844 explain how Asa Redington valued a copy of that roster of Washington’s Personal Guard. On June 25, 1844 Daniel King of Danvers, Mass. wrote to Redington: “I have this day received your letter of the 21st containing among other interesting memoranda the muster roll of Washington’s Life Guard. Your letter is a valuable curiosity, not only for the historical facts it contains, but also for the clearness of its style and the beauty of its penmanship. Long may you live, honored sir, to enjoy the gratitude of your countrymen and to share with them the blessings of civic liberty and of good order.”

Daniel King, the son of the private in the Guard, was, when he wrote to Redington in 1844, Representative to Congress from a Massachusetts District. Fortunately retained in the Redington papers is a copy of the letter from Redington to King which prompted the reply I have just quoted. It justifies all the praise King gave to Redington’s literary style:

“Waterville, Maine. June 1844

“Dear Sir:

“My son, Judge Redington, recently informed me that you wish to have a copy of the company roll of Washington’s Life Guards. With pleasure I hereby enclose you one under date of October 23, 1783. The original is in my possession.

“The Company was then stationed at Rocky Hill in Princeton, N.J., and went by the name of Washington’s Guards. It consisted of a captain, three sergeants, three corporals, two musicians and 28 privates. I remember most of them. The preliminary treaty of peace was made in November, 1782. After the information reached America there was but little fighting. The army, however, was not disbanded until the arrival of the definitive treaty signed at Paris on September 3, 1783. It was in the spring of 1783 that Washington retired from Newburgh and established his quarters at Princeton. Our company was detached at that time to attend to his person. We remained with him till the last of November when, after visiting West Point and New York City, he returned home to Mount Vernon. A part of our company went there to guard his baggage. Then I had to walk from Mount Vernon to West Point. There, after serving in the war for five years, I was discharged on December 23, 1783, with my health impaired.

“I then had to walk through the deep snow to New Hampshire where my friends resided. Being desirous to retain my trusty musket, but unwilling to shoulder it on so long a walk all the way home, I made a bargain with one of my fellow soldiers to carry it home, for which I was to give him one dollar or let him keep the gun. When we reached home I somehow. managed to procure a hard dollar, which I gave to him and took the gun, which I now keep.

“General Washington had the courtesy to address me several times, once at Philadelphia Hospital when I was very sick with small pox. ‘You appear to have the disorder very bad’, he said. ‘What corps do you belong to?’ I replied ‘New Hampshire’. He passed along through the hospital. where there were a great many sick and a vast number died.”

Asa Redington’s letter to King continues: “Again at Princeton, when another man and I were carrying a number of heavy trunks up the front stairs to his chamber, Washington said, ‘Be careful not to drop that trunk on your feet. It would cripple you’. Again at the same place he one day called me to the window and said. ‘I wish you would have your men get some brush brooms and sweep the dooryard, and I will try to get you something to drink’. We soon cleaned the place and he sent us by his steward a bottle of excellent spirits, which proved very acceptable. I mention these trifling circumstances merely to show that the Commander in Chief of the American armies was above the false pride which too often accompanies men invested with rank and power, and which teaches that consideration to their subordinates would be fatal to their own dignity.

“The General’s lady was, I believe, with him all the time he was at Princeton. I was very sick for several weeks with fever and ague, and went to a small farmhouse near the General’s headquarters, where I would be more comfortable than in a tent. His family physician came almost daily to see me, and his lady was very kind, often sending me pies and delicacies from her own table, among other things a fine orange, a great rarity in that day.”

Asa goes on to tell of his respect for Washington. “My veneration for that great and good general commenced early. It has never diminished. Of his person and character it is unnecessary to speak, but I cannot forbear alluding to that majestic and serene dignity of appearance and manner which at once inspired reverence and love. When on horseback (and he was an excellent horseman) he made a most notable appearance. Whether walking alone or with thousands, he was instantly marked as an extraordinary being. He had with him at Princeton about a dozen mounted cavalry which made a fine appearance. Some of them generally escorted him when he rode out.

One of the guard, Sgt. Stratton, died last fall near here in Albion, Maine. It is possible that several others may still be living, but I know of none. “I trust I did my duty faithfully as a soldier in that mighty contest with the most powerful nation on the globe, and by which we won our independence, I saw and felt a great deal of hard service in that war. I was in a number of actions and at the Siege of Yorktown. There, after ten days of hard fighting, which at last grew rather irksome, I had the gratification of seeing the British army under Lord Cornwallis march out of Yorktown, ground their arms and surrender as prisoners of war.

“I am no friend of war and I pray that peace may reign on the earth. I am fast verging on the age of 83 and hoping to find a dwelling place in that proud land where wars never come.

“Yours very respectfully,

“Asa Redington”

So much for that amazingly interesting letter written by Waterville’s Asa Redington 122 years ago. Now let us turn to another subject.

It is well known that early Maine settlers saw nothing wrong in drinking spiritous liquors. I once told on this program how part of the expense of building the first structure of old Colby College, when it was called the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, was a bill from Nathaniel Gilman’s store for rum with which to treat the townspeople who gave of their time in helping put up that home for the first president of the college. When the minister called on a family, the first act of courtesy was to serve him a glass of rum.

Nevertheless, early in the 19th century there were people who recognized the evils attendant upon drinking intoxicants. While it was well into the 1840’s before temperance societies became common, one such society was organized in Central Maine as early as 1830. It was formed in the community that wou,ld’.later see the birth of one of our most distinguished Americans, the great Quaker, Rufus Jones. In fact one of Jones’ ancestors, Eli Jones, was the society’s first secretary. Other well known China names on the membership list were Meigs, Merrill, Stuart, Hussey and Clark. Altogether there were 220 members.

In the society’s records, still preserved, are some interesting statistics for the first year of the organization’s existence, 1830-31. The figures there recorded show that the town of China then had 2,234 inhabitants, of whom 354 were voters. But of course it was the consumption of liquor in which the society members were interested.

The population figures were given so that anyone interested could compute the per capita consumption in that one Maine town.

During the year there had been sold at taverns in China 572 gallons of spirits at an average of two dollars a gallon. Sold in the many general stores scattered all over the town from one end of the big lake to the other were 2,804 gallons at an average cost of 92 cents a gallon. That made a total sale of liquor in China for the year of 3,376 gallons, costing the drinkers a total of $3,733. That was more than a gallon and a half for every man, woman, youth, child and squalling baby in the town. Of course most of it was consumed by grown men, and since there were only 354 of voting age in the town, it meant an average of nearly 10 gallons for the male adult population.

Another kind of temperance society a century ago was the Sons of Temperance. A lodge of that order was instituted in China in 1859; there was another at China Village, and a third at Weeks Mills. The town of China and especially Rufus Jones’ village at the south end of the lake may well be proud of their early and persistent interest in the cause of temperance.

Year: 1966