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Bunker Hill - 1775 Muster Roll Signed by 37 Soldiers

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:5,000.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Bunker Hill - 1775 Muster Roll Signed by 37 Soldiers
<Our item number 140217><B>Bunker Hill - 1775 Muster Roll Signed by 37 Soldiers.</B> A partly-printed document with the date of 1 August 1775, being the Muster Roll of Luke Drury&#39;s company. The document measures 17½ x 23 inches, extended along the bottom to 31 inches to accommodate the additional names of the privates. The Muster Roll is for the period of April through July or August 1775. The verso of the document bears the signatures of 37 members of the unit acknowledging receipt of their pay at Dorchester, February 9th, 1776. The 37 signatures on the back of the doument are: Edmund Dolbean, Thad. Kempre &#40;his mark&#41;, Thomas Leland Jr., William Walker, William Evans, Joseph Plumly, Joseph Anthony, Eliphet Smith, Matthias Rice, Elisha Stedwick, Ladock Putnam, Moses Sherman, Aaron Willard, Ebenezer Phillips, Elizah Rice, Shelomith Stow, Thomas Pratt, Essick Dexter, Edward Buttrick, Isaac Brigham, Zebulin Daniels, Forterix Byrnes &#40;his mark&#41;, Nathan Morse, Asaph Sherman, Ebenezer Melen dy, Eleazer Leland, Jonah Goulding, Solomon Brooks, George Smith, Sam&#39;l Starnes, Ebenezer Wadsworth &#40;his mark&#41;, Peter Butler, Ebenezer Leland, Benjamin Grover, Thomas Leland, John Banks and Jonas Stowe.<BR><BR>Sixteen of the names signed on the back are men who fought under Drury at Lexington Concord. The names are: Ladock Putnam, William Walker, Mathias Rice, Moses Sherman, Ebenezer Phillips, Elizah Rice, Shelomith Stow, Thomas Pratt, Isaac Brigham, Ebenzer Melendy, Ebenezer Leland, Jonah Goulding, Solomon Brooks, Samuel Stearnes, Peter Butler, and Ebenzer Leland. <BR><BR>Of the 37 signatures on the verso of this August 1775 sheet, six belong to men who fought under Drury&#39;s company for Col. Artemas Ward at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The names of the men can be found on a list provided by the National Park Service of Boston of the Roster of New Hampshire soldiers in the Battle of Bunker&#39;s Hill. Those names are: Pvt. Joseph Plumley from Alstead, Pvt. Joseph Anthony o f Alstead, Pvt. John Banks of Alstead, Pvt. Eleazer Leeland of Croydon, Cpl. Jonah Stowe of Alstead, Pvt. Ebenezer Wadsworth of Alstead. The front of the document contains the names of five more soldiers who fought at Bunker Hill; Samuel Adams of Walpole, William Martin of Walpole, James Martin of Walpole, Aaron Heath of Alstead and Abner Brigham of Croydon. The sheet is an extensive record of a regimental company during the early siege of Boston. The muster indicates that one private, Samuel Heard who enlisted on May 7 was killed in battle June 17th &#34;arms lost.&#34; The muster roll has numerous archival repairs and is backed with japan paper, not affecting the legibility of the names. <BR><BR>On 19 April 1775, the day the first shot of the American Revolution was fired at Concord, Drury took his company of 46 men and marched to Cambridge, hounding the British on their retreat back to Boston. Drury was a farmer and gristmill operator from Grafton, Mass. He was first appointed milit ia captain for Grafton in 1773. His minuteman company was one of the first mustered out on the day of the Lexington alarm. Drury successfully raised his company as ordered by Joseph Warren, received his commission, and joined Patriot forces at Cambridge in the regiment of Colonel Jonathan Ward. His men fought at Bunker Hill and participated in the siege of Boston. He was subsequently commissioned a lieutenant colonel and served throughout the war. His papers indicate that toward the end of the war in 1781 his company was posted to West Point and was active in maintaining the Great Chain laid across the Hudson to hinder British traffic on the river. Perhaps because of his military career, Drury was later accused of participating in Shay&#39;s Rebellion, for which he was arrested and imprisoned. His name was later cleared but he resigned his commission. He later became a state representative, constable, deputy sheriff and selectman of Grafton. He died in 1811 and is buried in Grafton. <B R>Estimated Value &#36;10,000 - 15,000. <BR><BR>Our item number 140217<BR><IMAGES><P ALIGN="CENTER"><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/49jpegs/140217.jpg"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/49jpegs/140217N2.jpg"> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.goldbergcoins.net/liveauction/49jpegs/140217N3.jpg"> </P></IMAGES>