Brewster Was In On Revolution From The Start

BREWSTER – Until 1803, Brewster and Harwich were one, with Brewster being the North Precinct and Harwich the South. On June 17, 1776, the inhabitants were called together to consider an official declaration of withdrawal from Great Britain, but North Precinct residents had been heavily involved before then.

On June 17, 1776, town chair Solomon Freeman had little difficulty receiving overwhelming approval for a motion “that should the Honorable Congress, for ye safety of the colonies declare their Independence of the kingdom of Great Britain, that ye said inhabitants will solemnly engage with their lives and fortunes to support them in that measure.”*

A committee of correspondence was formed, composed of Edward Hall, Joseph Nye and James Paine. These men would be privy to all communications with the other colonies and bring appropriate issues of vote for the town to pursue. Over 40 North Precinct residents fought in the war, on land and sea. Here are a few of special note:

Edmund Sears participated in the Boston Tea Party in 1773. When the British threatened to land on Cape Cod he rushed to assist in the defense. His three sons served in Washington's army: Elkanah, Edmund and Joshua. 

Edward Bangs was enrolled at Harvard on April 19, 1775, when he heard that hostile British troops were marching west out of Boston toward Concord. “He hastily equipped himself from the college armory of Harvard’s local militia company, repaired to the scene of action and fought gallantly during the day.”*

Isaac Bangs, a recent graduate of Harvard, was responsible for building up military preparation on Dorchester Heights and experienced the joy of seeing the British Troops driven from Boston on March 17, 1776. He later followed the retreat of the British as they traveled southward. Starting in 1776 he began a diary, which is in the custody of Brewster Ladies’ Library and available online.

Elkanah Cobb served as a seaman aboard the privateer Bunker Hill, which was seized by a British frigate. He later served as a seaman aboard the ship Wilkes, anchored in Cape Cod Bay, when this ship was also chased by the British Navy and driven into the breakers on the back side of Eastham. Cobb next took command of the privateer Cutter out of Salem. The Cutter was able to take three valuable prizes under his mastery and returned to Salem with the full crew intact. He next served as master’s mate aboard the ship Resource and engaged in a three-hour battle with a British sloop of war. Another British frigate flanked Cobb’s ship, leading to the eventual capture of both boat and crew. After much cruel treatment, Cobb managed to escape in an open boat and return to Salem. He then became a privateer on the ship General Green. His crew captured a British Sloop of War with 18 guns and a crew of 150 sailors. He also seized a ship sailing out of Liverpool with a cargo valued at 35,000 pounds. 

Zenas Phinney of the North Precinct, while mate and prize master, was three times taken by the English, twice shipwrecked, twice driven ashore by the English and once sent to a prison ship in New York.

The British ship of the line Somerset ran aground on the Peaked Hill Bars off Truro in 1778. The crew, numbering 480 men, were marched through the North Precinct on their way to Boston. Joseph Nye of that part of town afforded them supplies on their way, and on Feb. 16, 1779, the Board of War allowed him 780 pounds.

A committee was formed June 6, 1780, for the purpose of preparing “a civil constitution for the people of Massachusetts Bay” and included Capt. Benjamin Berry and John Freeman from the North Precinct. The Constitution was adopted by the Colony and went into effect on Oct. 25.

The first Senator from Barnstable County, Solomon Freeman, came from the North Precinct of Harwich. This Massachusetts Constitution, drafted by John Adams, later served as the basis for the United States Constitution.