History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

380 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON. [1775-1776.
Results of the First TllG first year of the war closed to the ad-
Year of the war. vantage of the patriots. Lexington and
Bunker Hill had shown the British troops
the fighting qualities of the undisciplined soldiers of the
colonies. In Massachusetts, while the English were nomi-
nally victorious, they were closely confined to the city of
Boston, and the little liill they had won at so great a cost.
Ticonderoga and Crown Point had been captured, and the
invasion of Canada had proved in a measure successful.
Montreal had been taken, Quebec invested and the sterling
qualities of the colonial commanders and their soldiers had
been abundantly proved. On the whole the outlook was
encouraging ; the patriots had learned that the fight for
independence had commenced, and that there would be no
backwai'd step.
Soldiers to Reinforce Early in 1776, efforts wcrc made to enlist
Arnold Raised iu soldicrs to reiuforce Gen. Arnold in Canamps
ire.
^^^^ Major Hawley and five others were
appointed a committee to raise a regiment for that purpose
in Hampshire County. Under this authority companies
were organized in different sections, and the regiment
placed under the command of Col. Elisha Porter of Had-
ley. These companies were ordered to proceed to their des-
tination as fast as they were ready to march. Capt. Israel
Chapin of Hatfield commanded a company in which a number
of Northampton men were enlisted. Capt. Thomas
Alexander of Northfield had another company. Records
of the marching of these two companies, though they
traversed practically the same route to Canada, show that
they started on different dates. The itinerary of Capt.
Chapin's company, as given by one of the Northampton
soldiers, follows. Capt. Alexander's journal shows that he
left Northfield March 6"", went to Hadley, and did not
start on the direct march till the IS'*", when Capt. Chapin
had been ten days on the way. Other recruits followed at
intervals and some were met by the retreating army, after
the complete failure of the enterprise. As the soldiers had
no tents, and were obliged to depend for shelter on such
places as could be found along the line of march, stopping
at taverns and bivouacking in barns and outhouses, it was