A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

1745.] THE NEW ENGLAND ARIVIY. 81militia, raised in a single clay, it is said, a companyof sixty-one, the eldest being sixty years old,and theyoungest sixteen.^They formed about a quarter ofthe fencible population of the town of Wells, one ofthe most exposed places on the bordei.Volunteersoffered themselves readily everywhere; though thepay was meagre, especially in Maine and Massachusetts,where in the new provincial currency it wastwenty-five shillings a month, — thenequal to fourteenshillings sterling, or less than sixpence a day,^the soldierfurnishing his own clothing and bringinghis own gun. A full third of the Massachusettscontingent, or more than a thousand men, are reportedto have come from the hardy population of Maine,whose entire fighting force, as shown by the musterrolls,was then but 2,855.^ Perhaps there was notone officer among them whose experience of warextended beyond a drill on muster day and the shamfight that closed the performance, when it generallyhappened that the rustic warriors were treated withrum at the charge of their captain, to put them ingood humor, and so induce them to obey the word ofcommand.As the three provinces contributing soldiers recognizedno common authority nearer than the King,Pepperrell received three several commissions as1 Bourne, Hist, of Wells and KennebiinJc, 371.2 Gibson, Jownal ; Records of Rhode Island, v. Governor Wantonof that province says, with complacency, that the pay of RhodeIsland was twice that of Massachusetts.3 Parsons, Life of Pepperrell, 54.VOL. II. — 6