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

CHAPTER XXXI.
REVOLUTION—ARMY SUPPLIES—SAMUEL ELY.
Continental Soldiers WiTH the Opening of tlie year 1781, there
Required. -^^q pending the requisition for twenty-one
Continental soldiers for three years. The
committee having the matter in charge reported in favor
of dividing the town into classes, and the selectmen were
ordered to form them. This method was only partially
successful, and but seven men^ were obtained. One district
hired Daniel Kentfield, and gave him £85 in silver, he
to retain his wages. Ephraim Wheaton, an apprentice of
Daniel Wright, enlisted for three years in the Continental
service, and the town gave him two notes for £18.6.8 each,
payable in hard money in one and two years, provided he
did not desert. Another class hired a man for £65.6.9, hard
money, and were obliged to sue one member for his propor-
tion, amounting to 8s. 2d. Still another requisition for
fourteen three years' men to complete the quota of twentyone,
called for in the preceding December, came in March.
A System of Drafting The repeated demands for soldiers had long
Soldiers Devised. siuce exhausted the patriotism of the peo-
ple, and voluntary enlistments, except for
short terms, had almost entirely ceased. A plan of drafting,
amounting almost to conscription, had been devised by
the Legislature and adopted February 26"", 1781, which
proved generally effective. The taxpayers were divided
into classes, equal in number to the quota of soldiers required.
To each class was assigned the duty of furnishing
one soldier, and providing his wages and for his support.
Each member was required to pay his proportion of the
1 See Appendix for names.
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