My name is Frank Maxwell. Some of you might remember me as the one who had my father's, Samuel Maxwell's, memoirs released through Durham and Partners in Boston not long ago. In case you haven't read them, I happen to have a volume here. Many letters have reached me since, inquiring how it went with my family. My brother Nathan has urged me to comply. According to him, my life exploits would make a good read. Now, I don't consider my life as none too exceptional, especially when measured against the course of events in my father's life, but as he and a few very close friends persisted in my releasing my tale, I will be your humble servant. I hope you will not put too much expectations into my recounting, and I will do my best as to make sure not to bore you.
Hm. Where shall I start? The beginning of a story is always the hardest to determine. For those who have read my father's tale, you will remember that I was born in 1740, on his plantation in Delaware. As the eldest, it seemed natural that I would once inherit my father's estate and become a tobacco farmer myself. However, it became clear for me all too soon that I was not destined to follow him on that path. I had no feeling for business, or money, for that matter. My younger brother Nathan, three years younger than me, was more adept to such topics. He was a smallish boy, and more than once I had to save him from other kids making fun of him or trying to take advantage of his defensive demeanor. He was a book worm, and was very interested in matters of science and finances. He later went to study laws at the University of Harvard in Massachussetts. Our sisters, Violette and Charlotte, celebrated a splendid double marriage at our estate in 1766, unfortunately too late for my father to witness. Violette became Mrs. James Franklin who was a trader in Boston. Charlotte wedded Mr. Frances Baker who owned a manufactory of furniture in New York.
British Light Infantry
But I get drawn away from the story of my life. In 1754, war erupted between the English and the French and their Indian allies. Being a lad of almost 15, I volunteered for service with 80th Light Regiment of Foot. My father was none too fond of this rash decision, and hadn't I sneaked out from home he would likely have me locked up for the duration of the conflict. But a boy of my age then pays no heed to reason and thinks of glory, adventure and excitement when it comes to war. I thought it would be manly to fight, to smell the smoke of battle, to kill the enemy in combat, to witness the explosions and drums and agony of war. I was wrong. I don't want to say too much about my service during that war, but when it ended, I had achieved the rank of sergeant, acquired through my conduct and bravery in battle. It was not until I returned home in 1763 that I learned that my father had died.
Nathan, who had quit his college to take over the reins of the family plantations and manufactories that our father had hoped to express his love for me one more time. He had been furious after my secret departure, and remembering how strict he could be with us as kids I was even a little bit scared of returning home. But later this anger had turned into concern and worry, and I felt miserable for not being with him during his last days. Our mother assured me that he loved me, and so would she, however, I felt sorry for my selfishness and that therefore I hadn't been able to say adieu to him myself.
In the following years, I helped my brother as best as I could with running the plantation. However, the war and the seven years of service had blunted my manners, not to mention my education, and so I was little more than an aide to him, mainly organizing the work among our slaves and guards, as this was what resembled my occupation in the military most. I didn't particularly concern myself with politics then, but my brother Nathan followed the latest developments minutely, and through him I kept up with what I needed to know.
The French and Indian War had been expensive, and the English Crown began to charge the American colonists for making up for this. There was a strong opposition against such a taxation, especially, as there was no proper representation of the colonies in the government of Great Britain. First, in 1764, the Stamp Act was put in effect. All newspapers and legal documents were required to bear a British stamp that had to be bought. The colonists resisted and the act was reversed again. In 1767, another law, called the Townsend Act, taxed many goods that were sent from Britain to the Americas. Prime Minister Townsend had to revoke the law later, though, as, rallying under the phrase "No taxation without representation", the colonists refused to buy imports from Britain. The taxes were levied, except for that on tea, if I recall correctly. I remember how much strain this taxation had put on the business of Violette's husband in Boston, who made his money with cross-Atlantic trading. It was a close call, because else he might have gone out of business.
Paul Revere's rendition of the Boston Massacre
In 1770, another outcry went through the colonies. In Boston, British soldiers had shot at civilians who had mocked them. For fear of an escalation of the situation, Violette and her husband left the city till things had boiled down a bit. Our tobacco business stalled. Under British law, we were forbidden to sell to anyone but the English. Even if others offered considerably higher prices. We smuggled a lot of cigars out of the colonies, to buyers in France and Holland, and bribed a fair amount of officials. The money we would have gotten from selling exclusively to the English would have barely sufficed to keep the plantations, us, and our slaves and employees alive. Smuggling became a fashion in all the colonies. In fact it became so bad that in 1773, the British parliament passed a law that allowed the British East India Company to sell their tea directly to the colonists without taking detours via merchants in England. Otherwise, the Company would have been out of business soon for all the smugglers from the Netherlands and France offering tea so much cheaper. However, even though the Company was now able to sell their tea cheaper than the smugglers, the dockworkers in Boston refused to unload the cargo, despite a different order from the Royal governor. This led to a hillarious incident on December 16th of that year. A group of men, disguised as Indians, boarded a ship laden with tea and threw it all over board. This came to be known as the Boston Tea Party and was the talk in all the colonies for weeks and months to come.
However, the English reaction to this obvious prank was harsh. The Boston harbour was closed, and Violette and James Franklin left the city once more. The citizens of Boston were held accountable for the incident and reuired to pay for the tea and to pay the due tax. The council of Massachussetts was dissolved and replaced by officials appointed by the king. People charged with major crimes would now be tried in England, not in the colonies. The Canadian border was expanded south, cutting of the colonies' land claims on the Ohio. This strong response from the motherland frightened us, and infuriated us the same. Occasional outbreaks of violence against Royalists were commited, but too few to be of grave concern. A neighbour of ours who was demanding the king to take an even stronger stand, advocating what became known as the Intolerable Acts, lost his home and plantation in a fire blaze. Leaders in the colonies called for a Continental Congress to be held to form a united front of the colonies in their claims for their rights from England.
In 1774, the first Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. They formed a political, unified response to the Intolerable Acts, presenting the English motherland with them, demanding the colonies' rights to be observed. The king answered with even more punishment and retaliation. The representatives from Georgia were even held back from the congress by the king's governor. Violette and her husband remained in Delaware now. He sold his business, and opened a new one in New Castle. Boston seemed too dangerous a place, and that assumption was right.
New Castle harbor on the Delaware River
In 1775, hostilities broke out between the vigilant Minutement and British soldiers in Lexington and Concord. Everyone remembers Paul Revere's ride to alert the colonists to the arrival of British troops. The stand was so fiercely fought that the British were forced back to Boston. Only later did we learn that James Franklin's former house of business burned down that night.
The Battle of Lexington
Soon after these fights, the Continental Congress convened a second time at Philadelphia. The militia was now named the Continental Army, and General George Washington, hero of the French and Indian Wars, assumed command. In late 1775, a call came from congress for the three lower counties of Pennsylvania to raise a batallion for the fight against the English aggressors. For those of you who are not in the knowing, those three counties had strived for seperation from Pennsylvania for a long time and would succeed so on June 15th, 1776, forming the independent Delaware. When the call to arms came, I joined the fight. This time not because I sought excitement and adventure. No, this time I joined for a fight against oppression and injustice, a fight for freedom! I signed up for the Delaware Regiment.
Hm. Where shall I start? The beginning of a story is always the hardest to determine. For those who have read my father's tale, you will remember that I was born in 1740, on his plantation in Delaware. As the eldest, it seemed natural that I would once inherit my father's estate and become a tobacco farmer myself. However, it became clear for me all too soon that I was not destined to follow him on that path. I had no feeling for business, or money, for that matter. My younger brother Nathan, three years younger than me, was more adept to such topics. He was a smallish boy, and more than once I had to save him from other kids making fun of him or trying to take advantage of his defensive demeanor. He was a book worm, and was very interested in matters of science and finances. He later went to study laws at the University of Harvard in Massachussetts. Our sisters, Violette and Charlotte, celebrated a splendid double marriage at our estate in 1766, unfortunately too late for my father to witness. Violette became Mrs. James Franklin who was a trader in Boston. Charlotte wedded Mr. Frances Baker who owned a manufactory of furniture in New York.
British Light Infantry
But I get drawn away from the story of my life. In 1754, war erupted between the English and the French and their Indian allies. Being a lad of almost 15, I volunteered for service with 80th Light Regiment of Foot. My father was none too fond of this rash decision, and hadn't I sneaked out from home he would likely have me locked up for the duration of the conflict. But a boy of my age then pays no heed to reason and thinks of glory, adventure and excitement when it comes to war. I thought it would be manly to fight, to smell the smoke of battle, to kill the enemy in combat, to witness the explosions and drums and agony of war. I was wrong. I don't want to say too much about my service during that war, but when it ended, I had achieved the rank of sergeant, acquired through my conduct and bravery in battle. It was not until I returned home in 1763 that I learned that my father had died.
Nathan, who had quit his college to take over the reins of the family plantations and manufactories that our father had hoped to express his love for me one more time. He had been furious after my secret departure, and remembering how strict he could be with us as kids I was even a little bit scared of returning home. But later this anger had turned into concern and worry, and I felt miserable for not being with him during his last days. Our mother assured me that he loved me, and so would she, however, I felt sorry for my selfishness and that therefore I hadn't been able to say adieu to him myself.
In the following years, I helped my brother as best as I could with running the plantation. However, the war and the seven years of service had blunted my manners, not to mention my education, and so I was little more than an aide to him, mainly organizing the work among our slaves and guards, as this was what resembled my occupation in the military most. I didn't particularly concern myself with politics then, but my brother Nathan followed the latest developments minutely, and through him I kept up with what I needed to know.
The French and Indian War had been expensive, and the English Crown began to charge the American colonists for making up for this. There was a strong opposition against such a taxation, especially, as there was no proper representation of the colonies in the government of Great Britain. First, in 1764, the Stamp Act was put in effect. All newspapers and legal documents were required to bear a British stamp that had to be bought. The colonists resisted and the act was reversed again. In 1767, another law, called the Townsend Act, taxed many goods that were sent from Britain to the Americas. Prime Minister Townsend had to revoke the law later, though, as, rallying under the phrase "No taxation without representation", the colonists refused to buy imports from Britain. The taxes were levied, except for that on tea, if I recall correctly. I remember how much strain this taxation had put on the business of Violette's husband in Boston, who made his money with cross-Atlantic trading. It was a close call, because else he might have gone out of business.
Paul Revere's rendition of the Boston Massacre
In 1770, another outcry went through the colonies. In Boston, British soldiers had shot at civilians who had mocked them. For fear of an escalation of the situation, Violette and her husband left the city till things had boiled down a bit. Our tobacco business stalled. Under British law, we were forbidden to sell to anyone but the English. Even if others offered considerably higher prices. We smuggled a lot of cigars out of the colonies, to buyers in France and Holland, and bribed a fair amount of officials. The money we would have gotten from selling exclusively to the English would have barely sufficed to keep the plantations, us, and our slaves and employees alive. Smuggling became a fashion in all the colonies. In fact it became so bad that in 1773, the British parliament passed a law that allowed the British East India Company to sell their tea directly to the colonists without taking detours via merchants in England. Otherwise, the Company would have been out of business soon for all the smugglers from the Netherlands and France offering tea so much cheaper. However, even though the Company was now able to sell their tea cheaper than the smugglers, the dockworkers in Boston refused to unload the cargo, despite a different order from the Royal governor. This led to a hillarious incident on December 16th of that year. A group of men, disguised as Indians, boarded a ship laden with tea and threw it all over board. This came to be known as the Boston Tea Party and was the talk in all the colonies for weeks and months to come.
However, the English reaction to this obvious prank was harsh. The Boston harbour was closed, and Violette and James Franklin left the city once more. The citizens of Boston were held accountable for the incident and reuired to pay for the tea and to pay the due tax. The council of Massachussetts was dissolved and replaced by officials appointed by the king. People charged with major crimes would now be tried in England, not in the colonies. The Canadian border was expanded south, cutting of the colonies' land claims on the Ohio. This strong response from the motherland frightened us, and infuriated us the same. Occasional outbreaks of violence against Royalists were commited, but too few to be of grave concern. A neighbour of ours who was demanding the king to take an even stronger stand, advocating what became known as the Intolerable Acts, lost his home and plantation in a fire blaze. Leaders in the colonies called for a Continental Congress to be held to form a united front of the colonies in their claims for their rights from England.
In 1774, the first Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. They formed a political, unified response to the Intolerable Acts, presenting the English motherland with them, demanding the colonies' rights to be observed. The king answered with even more punishment and retaliation. The representatives from Georgia were even held back from the congress by the king's governor. Violette and her husband remained in Delaware now. He sold his business, and opened a new one in New Castle. Boston seemed too dangerous a place, and that assumption was right.
New Castle harbor on the Delaware River
In 1775, hostilities broke out between the vigilant Minutement and British soldiers in Lexington and Concord. Everyone remembers Paul Revere's ride to alert the colonists to the arrival of British troops. The stand was so fiercely fought that the British were forced back to Boston. Only later did we learn that James Franklin's former house of business burned down that night.
The Battle of Lexington
Soon after these fights, the Continental Congress convened a second time at Philadelphia. The militia was now named the Continental Army, and General George Washington, hero of the French and Indian Wars, assumed command. In late 1775, a call came from congress for the three lower counties of Pennsylvania to raise a batallion for the fight against the English aggressors. For those of you who are not in the knowing, those three counties had strived for seperation from Pennsylvania for a long time and would succeed so on June 15th, 1776, forming the independent Delaware. When the call to arms came, I joined the fight. This time not because I sought excitement and adventure. No, this time I joined for a fight against oppression and injustice, a fight for freedom! I signed up for the Delaware Regiment.
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