Tag: Joseph Hodgkins

The Darkest Time is Just before Day

Joseph and Sarah Hodgkins wrote frequently and affectionately to each other while Joseph served in the Revolutionary War. He served for four years, while Sarah with difficulty took care of their family and farm back in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Joseph experienced the Battle of Long Island and other events that were discouraging to the American cause, but although he shared these experiences and his thoughts with his wife, they both encouraged each other and reiterated that they trusted in God that things would work out for the best. For example, she wrote to him on September 16, 1776:

my heart akes for you to think of the dificultys & fateagues you have to undergo but all that I can doo for you is to commit you to God who has hitherto preserved you and beg of him to be with you & preserve you still; dont be discoraged My Dear, God is as able to preserve us as ever and he will doo it if we trust in him aright tho as you say I think things Look very dark on our side but it has been observed that mans extremity was Gods oppertunity and I think it Seems to be a time of grate exstremity Now and I hope God will apear for us & send Salvation and deliverance to us in due time and if you Should be called to Battle again may he be with you & cover your heads & Strenthen your hands & encorage your hearts and give you all that fortitude and resilution that is left for you and in his own time return you home in Safty … for my part I am not wholy discoraged; many times the darkest time is jest before day

It was indeed a dark time, but although the day was still a good way off, it was coming.

Note: Sarah’s and Joseph’s letters have absolutely no punctuation, so I added a little bit in this quotation for clarity’s sake.

Remember the Others

On Memorial Day, we pause — or at least, we should pause — to remember those who have given their lives for American liberty. I think this should include not only those who have been killed or wounded on the battlefield, but those who have given their lives in other ways. For example:

Alexander Graydon of Pennsylvania left his fiancee behind when he left to serve in the American army in the early days of the Revolution. He was later captured by the British.

Joseph Hodgkins of Massachusetts, a married man with children, served four years in the army, while his wife, Sarah, took on the full responsibility of running their home and farm.

John Joseph Henry of Pennsylvania was crippled by disease as a result of the hardships he suffered as a soldier and prisoner of war in Canada.

Israel R. Potter of Rhode Island escaped after being captured by the British, but was unable to return to America for decades.

All over the country, people lost their homes, businesses, family members, and livelihoods.

We may think that we know something about war and the sacrifice and sorrow that it brings; after all, the United States has had soldiers at war for years now, and there are plenty of veterans of earlier wars still alive. But the people of the Revolution knew what it was like to have a war in their own homeland — even on their own doorsteps. As we observe Memorial Day, it’s worthwhile to remember those who did not die in battle, but who still sacrificed their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

Washington Takes Command

I have nothing Remarkebel to rite Except that geaneral Washington & Leas got into Cambridge yesterday and to Day thay are to take a vew of ye Army & that will be atended with a grate deal of grandor there is at this time one & twenty Drummers & as many feffors a Beting and Playing Round the Prayde.

No, that’s not a foreign language. It’s just a beautiful example of why spellcheck and grammar check were invented. Here’s how it would be with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation:

I have nothing remarkable to write except that Generals Washington and Lee got into Cambridge yesterday, and today they are to take a view of the army, and that will be attended with a great deal of grandeur; there are at this time one-and-twenty drummers and as many fifers a-beating and playing round the parade.

This was a letter from Massachusetts Lieutenant Joseph Hodgkins to his wife, Sarah. Besides being interesting from a historical standpoint, their letters are all kinds of fun to read; sometimes a word is spelled so strangely that it takes a minute to figure out what it is.

Hodgkins was at the American army camp around Boston, and he was writing about how General George Washington, the newly-appointed commander-in-chief, was taking command of the American forces. Washington arrived at Cambridge, which was the army’s headquarters, on Sunday, July 2, along with Charles Lee, who had been appointed a major-general. The next day they “reviewed” the army; that is, the army marched around the parade ground, and the generals observed them. (Maybe that’s not the most accurate description of it, but it’ll do.) Washington and Lee had been welcomed and honored all along their way from Philadelphia to Cambridge, but now they were up against their real work. And neither one of them realized how hard it would turn out to be.

Here’s an artistic rendition of General Washington “reviewing” the colonial troops at Cambridge, Massachusetts, on July 3, 1775. Although it’s not historically accurate in some things — such as the stars-and-stripes flag, which hadn’t been designed yet — it gives an idea of what a “review” might have been like. The smoke in the background is from a salute being fired.

Source

This Glorious Cause: The Adventures of Two Company Officers in Washington’s Army, p. 171.