Embattled Farmers:
Campaigns and Profiles of Revolutionary Soldiers
from Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1775-1783
Richard C. Wiggin
There was nothing extraordinary about these men; they were ordinary farmers,
laborers, merchants, tradesmen, slaves, and former slaves, the cross-section of a
typical eighteenth-century New England farming community. But when faced
with the loss of their cherished liberties and long-standing tradition of selfgovernment, they were swept up in an epic struggle against long odds. These are
the forgotten men who fought the American Revolution.
“My friends, in a few minutes we shall
be in the presence of the enemy, and I
hope you will behave like the men I
take you to be.”
—Capt. Moses Brown, before the Battle of
Trenton, December 26, 1776
“…one of [the British Frigates] gave
chase from 4 o’clock AM to 8 o,clock
PM when the Wilkes ran on Chattam
Beach at Cape Cod and was burnt by
the British; she had several men killed
and some drowned, and [we] escaped
by the barges and by swimming.”
—Edward Adams, on his service as a
privateer, late summer, 1777
Lincoln Historical Society
P. O. Box 6084, Lincoln, MA 01773
www.lincolnhistoricalsociety.org
[email protected]
(781) 259-0489
Meticulously researched, Embattled Farmers traces the footsteps of 252 individual
men—all connected with the same community—who served as Patriot soldiers.
Through repeated enlistments, they served at Lexington and Concord, at the Siege
of Boston, and during the campaigns to Ticonderoga, Canada, New York,
Saratoga, the Hudson Valley, The Jerseys, Valley Forge, and Yorktown.
Despite family and community ties, four others remained loyal to the King, and
fought against their neighbors and kinfolk. They lost everything they had, and
lived the remainder of their lives in exile.
Individual stories tell of under-age service, skirmishes and battles, guard duty,
fatigue duty, capture by the enemy, smallpox, desertion, and hardships, as well as
service by slaves, economic dislocation, and the practice of substitution.
Collectively, their stories present a fascinating mosaic of a community at war.
Told mostly from the perspective—and in some cases the actual words—of the
men themselves, Embattled Farmers places the reader shoulder to shoulder with
the men-at-arms. As minute men, militia, privateers, Continental soldiers—and
Loyalist militia—as officers and foot-soldiers, the stories of these Lincoln men
bring to life the human drama of the War for American Independence. The book’s
many hidden pearls will delight any armchair historian.
Richard C. Wiggin is Historian and past Captain of the Lincoln Minute
Men, a colonial re-enactor, and volunteer at Minute Man National
Historical Park. He is former Executive Director of Boston’s Old State
House, and has written seven audio tours for different segments of Minute
Man National Historical Park and Boston’s Freedom Trail. His articles
have appeared in Alaska Magazine, the Boston Globe, the Civil War Courier,
and The Lincoln Review.
“Wiggin’s meticulous research documents the broad-based participation of the
townspeople and reveals how their engagement in the ‘glorious cause’ was rooted
in the everyday life of a small, interconnected New England town. From
Concord’s North Bridge on April 19, 1775 to the Battles of Saratoga and
Yorktown, sons of Lincoln risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred
honor for liberty and independence. Thanks to Wiggin, the American Revolution
in Massachusetts stands out as a triumph of popular mobilization and as a symbol
of what citizens can accomplish in common when motivated by a willing spirit of
self-sacrifice. In Wiggin’s hand, the ‘embattled farmers’ of Lincoln finally
receive the recognition that is their due.”
— Robert A. Gross, James L. and
Shirley A. Draper Professor of Early American History, University of
Connecticut; author of The Minutemen and Their World
“Much to the delight of readers, Wiggin
has turned an exhaustive investigation
of the service records of Lincoln folk
into an engaging tale of the connection
of the town to the sweep of the
American Revolution. What a grand
outcome. This work is an immeasurable
service to the town and to these patriots,
as well as a rare pleasure.”
—Donald
L. Hafner, Professor of Political
Science, Boston College, and former
Captain, The Lincoln Minute Men
A Revolutionary Investigation
Embattled Farmers examines the Revolutionary War from the ground up—from
individual records, rather than aggregate data. It is the only known work to
identify and profile all known Revolutionary soldiers from any given community
in the nation. Drawing on Federal, state, and local archival records, as well as
family and community histories, it brings to light many stories for the first time,
and it enriches our overall understanding of the Revolutionary War with specific
details and biographical data. It opens a unique window into the pragmatic
response of real individuals to the circumstance and sweep of the war. Embattled
Farmers may be a prototype for
“All historians of the American
future investigation of the Revolution
Revolution owe a great debt to Rick
as it played out in other communities
Wiggin for his painstaking labors in
throughout colonial America.
reconstructing the military service of
the
inhabitants
of
Lincoln,
Massachusetts on both sides of the
The significance of
conflict that ended in American
Lincoln Massachusetts
independence.” — Robert A. Gross,
James L. and Shirley A. Draper
Situated between Lexington and
Professor of Early American History,
Concord, Lincoln is as inextricably
University of Connecticut; author of
connected with the events of April
The Minutemen and Their World
19, 1775 as its more famous
neighbors. But Lincoln’s importance to the story goes beyond that. Lincoln was
tied together with many other towns through webs of family connections,
economic interests, and the common experiences of its soldiers. On April 19,
alone, Lincoln men marched with companies from 16 other towns. And because
Lincoln was fairly representative of a “typical” 18th century New England farming
community, Lincoln stories undoubtedly parallel the experiences of many other
New England towns, as well.
Ordering information:
Specifications:
April 2013 release
Lincoln Historical Society
P. O. Box 6084, Lincoln, MA 01773
www.lincolnhistoricalsociety.org
[email protected]
(781) 259-0489
also available
from Amazon
“When we had fired at the bridge, and
killed the British, Noah Parkhurst, of
Lincoln, who was my right-hand man,
said—‘Now the war has begun, and no
one knows when it will end.’”
—Amos Baker, on the North Bridge fight,
April 19, 1775
“…in the encounter, I received a
wound from a Broad sword on my head
& several thrusts from a bayonet in my
body, the effects from the wound on
my head were very serious & still felt
… we were taken prisoners and carried
to New York, where I remained ten
months & nine days … “
—Jonathan Gage, on the Battle of Young’s
House, February 3, 1780
7 x 10; 592 pages
157 illustrations, including
maps, portraits, tables & charts,
photos, and original documents
paperback: 978-0-944856-11-6
$30.00
hard cover: 978-0-944856-10-9
$45.00
FOB: Lincoln, MA
The author is available
for book events
For a book signing or book talk, contact
the author at [email protected]
Media attention for Embattled Farmers
The Boston Globe, April 11, 2013,
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2013/04/10/book-lincoln-minutemen/7he0rfRdSWf67gY6e9JTnI/story.html
Boston 1775 Blogspot, April 12, 2013, http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2013/04/new-book-profiles-embattled-farmers-of.html
The Lincoln Squirrel, April 14, 2013, http://www.lincolnsquirrel.com/book-describes-revolutionary-war-service-by-hundreds-from-lincoln/
Excerpts from Embattled Farmers
The Lincoln Review – “The Concord Alarm” (April 2012); “The Storming of Stony Point” (May-June 2012); “Ephraim Flint's
Prisoner of War” (Jan - Feb 2013); “Revolutionary Profiles of Lincoln Men and Boys” (March 2013)
Boston 1775 Blogspot, http://boston1775.blogspot.com – “The Mystery of James Nichols, Reluctant Soldier” (April 14, 2013); “The
Mysterious Prisoner of Ephraim Flint” (April 24, 2013)