Revolutionary War Historical Article
The Eyewitness Account of Samuel Cooper
By Donald N. Moran
The Sons of Liberty, the original organization, and not our Chapter, was formed in 1765 to combat the famed Stamp Act. It was a SECRET organization, of which we surprisingly know very little. Considering that the actions they were taking were, in the eyes of the King, treason, carrying the death penalty, it is no wonder they kept few records, and certainly no membership rolls.
It is generally believed that the membership was quite restricted, for security reasons, with most members being also known as members of the various Committees of Correspondence.
The many actions attributed to the "Sons" or "Liberty Boys," by which name they were also known, were probably instigated by the "Sons," but those participating were sympathetic supporters, and not necessarily members.
This was true of the most famous event December 16th, 1773 sponsored by the Sons of Liberty – "The Boston Tea Party."
The following is a first hand written account of the "Tea Party," written by participant Samuel Cooper. We do not know when Cooper wrote this account, but in all probability, many years after. Of interest to us as members of the SAR, Cooper was also a veteran of the Revolutionary War, having served at battles of Lexington-Concord, Bunker Hill, Trenton, and Brandywine. At the end of the war he held a Major’s Commission. He settled in New York City, served as City Tax Collector, married and had several children.
Also of interest is his son, Samuel Cooper, Jr., (1798-1876) who was the highest-ranking officer in the Confederate Army, serving as Adjutant and Inspector General. He was one of the few West Point Graduates that sided with the Confederacy.
"The duty on tea gave great umbrage to the colonists generally and in Boston an association was formed in 1770 to drink no tea until the duty was repealed. This course was persisted in 1773 the arrival of 3 ships from England laden with tea caused great disgust."
"No little excitement prevailed among the inhabitants of Boston, on account of the arrival of the ships laden with tea from England. Every effort was made to send these ships back but without success and it was soon evident that the tea would be landed unless some active measures were adopted by the citizens to prevent it. A town meeting was called on the afternoon of December 16, 1773 to devise measures for getting rid of this annoyance. At this meeting, which was held in the Old South Meeting House corner of Main and Milk Street, Jno. Hancock presided. A little before sundown an alarm was created among the assembled citizens by the cry of fire, which was suppose to be given by some of the British officers who had attended the meeting in citizen dress and had given the alarm for the purpose of breaking up the assembly. They had nearly effected this object when the town clerk, Wm. Cooper rose and in a loud voice told the citizens that there was no fire to be apprehended but the fire of the British and begged them to keep their plaices. Immediately after a detach’t of about 20 men disguised as Indians was seen to approach in single file by the west door of the Church. They marched with silent steps down the isle and so passed by the south door brandishing their tommahaws [sic – tomahawks] in that direction. The appearance of these men created some sensation. No one appeared to expect their arrival and the object of their visit seemed wholly inexplicable. On leaving the church, they proceeded in the same order in which they entered it, down Milk Street through that part of town which led to Gray’s and Tiletson’s wharves where the tea ships lay. Arrived at the wharves they divided into three troops each with a leader gained possession of the ships quietly and proceeded to lighten them of their cargo by hoisting out the boxes and emptying their contents into the dock. No noise was heard except the occasional clink of the hatchet in opening the boxes and the whole business was performed with so much expedition that before 10 o’clock that night the entire cargo of the three vessels were deposited in the docks. Many a wishful eye was directed to the piles of tea which lay in the docks and one poor fellow (5) who could not resist the temptation had filled the lining of his cloak with about a bushel of the plants. He was soon observed by the crowd and the process of lightening him of his burden was short. He was dragged a little distance on the wharf to a barrel and was soon furnished with a coat of tar and shavings."
Known Participants in the Boston Tea Party
Benjamin Thatcher, of Boston, compiled a list of fifty-eight known participants in the Boston Tea Party. This was accomplished in 1835, with seven of the participants still living who helped him prepare it.
In 1884 Francis S. Drake, also of Boston, added fifty more names gleaned from family documents and oral traditions. Drake also tried to identify these men with their occupations and ages.
Nathaniel Barber (3), 45, merchant
Samuel Barnard, 36, occupation unknown
Henry Bass (4), 34, merchant
Edward Bates, age and occupation unknown
Thomas Boulter, 38, housewright
David Bradlee (6), 31, occupation unknown
James Bradlee (6), 19, occupation unknown
Nathaniel Bradlee (6), 27, occupation unknown
Thomas Bradlee (6), 29, occupation unknown
James Brewer, age unknown, pump maker
Seth Ingersoll Brown, 23, house carpenter
Stephen Bruce, age unknown, merchant
Benjamin Burton, 24, occupation unknown
Nicholas Campbell, 41, sailor
George Carleton, age and occupation unknown
Thomas Chase (3), age unknown, distiller
Benjamin Clarke, 18, cooper’s apprentice
John Cochran, 23, occupation unknown
Gresham Collier, age and occupation unknown
Adam Colson (4), 35, leather dresser
James F. Condy (4), age unknown, bookseller
S. Coolidge, age and occupation unknown
Samuel Cooper, 18, cooper’s apprentice
John Crane, 29, house carpenter
Thomas Dana, age and occupation unknown
Robert Davis, 26, importer of groceries and liquors
Edward Dolbear, 18, cooper’s apprentice
Joseph Eaton, age unknown, hatter
Joseph Eayres, age unknown, housewright
- Eckley, age unknown, barber
Benjamin Edes (4), age unknown, printer
William Etheridge, age unknown, mason
Samuel Fenno, 28 ,housewright
Samuel Foster, age and occupation unknown
Nathaniel Frothingham, 27, coachmaker
John Fulton (7), 30, occupation unknown
John Gammell, 22, carpenter
Samuel Gore, 22, house painter
Moses Grant (4), 30, upholsterer
John Greenleaf (4), age and occupation unknown
Samuel Hammond, 24, farmer
William Hendley, 25, mason
George R. Hewes, 31, shoemaker
John Hicks, 48, occupation unknown
Samuel Hobbs, 25, tanner’s apprentice
John Hooton, 18, oarmaker’s apprentice
Samuel Howard, 21, shipwright
Edward C. Howe, 31, ropemaker
Jonathan Hunnewell, 14,(8)
Richard Hunnewell, age unknown, mason
Richard Hunnewell, Jr. ,16 (8)
Thomas Hunstable, 20, occupation unknown
Abraham Hunt, 25 ,wine merchant
David Ingersoll, 23, housewright
David Kennison, 37, farmer
Joseph Lee, 28, merchant
Amos Lincoln, 20, housewright apprentice
Mathew Loring, 23, leather worker
Joseph Lovering, 15, apprentice
Thomas Machin, 29, laborer
Ebenezer MacKintoch, 36, shoemaker
Archibald McNeil, 23, occupation unknown
John May, 25, occupation unknown
- Mead, age and occupation unknown
Thomas Melvill, 22, merchant’s clerk
William Molineux (3), 57, merchant
Thomas Moore, 20, operator of a wharf
Anthiny Morse, age and occupation unknown
Joseph Montford, 23, cooper
Eliphalet Newell, age and occupation unknown
Joseph P. Palmer, age unknown, hardware merchant
Johathan Parker, age unknown, farmer
Joseph Payson, 30, housewright
Samuel Peck, age unknown, cooper
John Peters, 41, occupation unknown
William Pierce, 29, barber
Lendall Pitts, 26, clerk of the market
Thomas Potter, age unknown, merchant
Henry Prentiss, 24, occupation unknown
John Prince, 20, occupation unknown
Edward Proctor (4), 40, importer
Henry Purkitt, 18, cooper’s apprentice
John Randall, 23, occupation unknown
Paul Revere, 38, silversmith
Joseph Roby, age and occupation unknown
John Russell, age unknown, mason
William Russell, 25, school teacher
Robert Sessions, 21, laborer
Joseph Shed, 41, carpenter
Benjamin Simpson, 17, bricklayer’s apprentice
Peter Slater, 14, ropemaker apprentice
Samuel Spraque, 19, mason’s apprentice
John Spurr, 25, occupation unknown
James Starr, 32, occupation unknown
Phineas Stearns, 37, farmer and blacksmith
Ebenezer Stevens, 22, carpenter
Elisha Story, 30, physician
James Swan, 19, counting house clerk
John Truman, age and occupation unknown
Thomas Urann, age unknown, ship joiner
Josiah Wheeler, 30, housewright
David Williams, age and occupation unknown
Ezekiel Williams, age 18, occupation unknown
Isaac Williams, age and occupation unknown
Jeremiah Williams, age unknown, blacksmith
Thomas Williams, 19, apprentice
Nathaniel Willis, 18, printer’s apprentice
Joshua Wyeth, 25, apprentice
Thomas Young, 41, physician
Comments:
The five men depicted below are all that we have found who had anything to do with the Boston Tea Party. Of the five, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere are well known. The other two are David Kennison, who was born November 17th 1736, in Old Kingston, Maine. He served throughout the entire war, and was badly wounded at Sackett’s Harbor, New York, during the war of 1812. He was interviewed by Benson Lossing in 1848, while living in Chicago, age 112! The last man is George Hewes, whose son was interviewed by Lossing. He was born in Boston, September 5th, 1742, and died in Richfield, Otsego County, New York. He served as a privateer in the early part of the War and later in the Army. At age 101 he attended the dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument was honored by all attending on June 17th, 1843.
Notes:
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