Shays' Rebellion 4/5

And so on January 25th, 1787. Daniel Shays and the other leaders of the rebellion decided the only way they could even their arms against Lincoln's army was to march to the arsenal in Springfield and seize the weapons that were stored there. On January 25th, 1787, shays rebellion hit its apex, so to speak. So you had 450 tons of military stores in the federal arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts. 7000 muskets, 1300 pounds of gunpowder. The Shay's 2200 men and Lincoln's 4400 were heading toward each other through the blinding snow. 900 militia under general William shepherd stood protecting the Springfield armory. Daniel shays told a reporter that if he succeeded in taking the arsenal, his intentions were clear. The march directly to Boston, plunder it, and then to destroy the nest of Devils who by their influence make court enact what they please. Burn it and lay the town of Boston in ashes. To overthrow the present constitution. If the rebels got the arsenal, they would have been better armed in the state. And we're talking about people who had spent four or 5, 6, 7, 8 years in the military. So they knew what to do with these weapons. Sam Adams feared a Civil War was at hand. It is to be expected that vigor decision and energy under the direction and blessing of heaven will soon terminate this unnatural unprovoked rebellion, prevent the effusion of blood and the fatal consequences to be dreaded from a Civil War. Would Americans now kill Americans spilling each other's blood on the snow covered fields of Springfield. Could this rebellion spread throughout the United States? During that cold week in January, the union stood on fragile ground. The Revolutionary War was over, but a new rebellion had begun. In the winter of 1787, the country was focused on Massachusetts and the impending battle between government troops and the 2200 rebels led by Daniel shays. The attack on the Springfield arsenal occurs in late January. And all records indicate it was a very, very cold winter. And at least four feet of snow on the ground. And so people had to slaughter way through this snow to get the arsenal. And the plan was to have a three prong attack on the arsenal. Along with fellow rebels looked day and Eli Parsons devised a plan of attack. What the plan is, according to Daniel shays at least, is on the 25th for these three groups of insurgents to simultaneously attack the federal arsenal. Get all the weaponry within the federal arsenal, then march to Boston and burn Boston to the ground. With his forces now divided, shays could only communicate through messengers. He informed Parsons a day that he planned to attack in the morning, but they needed more time to prepare, and he sent a messenger back to convey this to Shea's. What happens with this message, it's intercepted, turned over to general shepherd, who is defending the arsenal, and then the shays men and the Parsons men. They never get the message. This puts them in a pinch. General shepherd now knew when shays was going to attack. From where and that shades forces her down by one third. Shepherd then orders two of his militiamen to meet shades. Samuel buffington and William Lyman, they come and meet shays. They say shays has a sword drawn, he's got a pistol in his hand, and he says, surrender, and they say never. They've got cannon in there. And they're willing to fight. Will they fire? They surely will. That is all I want. Chase gave the command and his men began to march. March. William shepherd opens fire. First he sends a volley of cannon grape shot over their hands. They keep on going forward. They get to within about a hundred yards of the arsenal. They lower the cannon, they shoot right at the insurgents. Four rebels lay dead on the field and 30 more were wounded. They first try to attack further, but then as they're getting hit, then they flee. They'll flee in all directions. The insurgents retreat and regroup. Eli Parsons of the rebel cause says if it wasn't for that message that had been intercepted. And if they would have had a three flanks going in, they would have taken the arsenal. Three days later, Shay's regrouped his men now over 40 miles away. Needing to communicate with his other rebel leaders, chase sent a messenger with a call for help. The seeds of war are now sewn. Our men are now bleeding. I request you to let this letter be read and for you and every man to supply men and provision to relieve us with the reinforcement. We are determined here to carry our point, our cause is yours. Don't give yourself a rest and let us die here, for we are all brethren. But shays plea for help was never answered. No one thought he could defeat Lincoln's army. After marching all night through a terrible blizzard, general Lincoln's men surprise shays fleeing army and captured 150 of them without incident. Shay's managed to escape to Vermont, but small bands of his followers continued their attacks on Massachusetts courthouses. For all intents and purposes, the rebellion was over. Within a few short weeks, the 150 imprisoned rebels were sentenced to hang. Many appealed for leniency and although Samuel Adams opposed it, 138 men were pardoned. The remaining 12 were marched to the gallows, their necks put in a noose, but a last minute pardon spared their lives. Across the state, however, a separate group of three men weren't as fortunate. They were sentenced to be hanged for crimes associated with shays rebellion. And these sentences would be carried out. One of the government troops who had fought against the rebels, captain park Holland, eloquently summed up the State of the Union. I would observe that there are many things to be considered before we condemn the misled followers of Daniel shays. Our government was a new untried ship with many joints that needed oiling to say the least, with no chart of experience to guide us, nor map of the past, by which delay courts. The prevalent feeling was that the new republic was unraveling. And that if something weren't done immediately and something dramatic weren't done, that the United States, which was only a few years old, would disappear. The movement to hold a constitutional convention gained ground, but the key to its success rested with one man, general George Washington. And at first his hesitant, he says the people are not really ready for a large change. He was ready. He was nationalist, very concerned about his reputation. He doesn't want to throw in his lot. With something that will embarrass him. What persuaded him was a couple of letters from Knox in which Knox says, if you do this and it succeeds, you will be the father of your country and your glory will be even greater. And in fact, if you don't do it and it succeeds, then your own luster will be diminished. And so Washington consented to leave his comfortable home in Virginia and traveled to Philadelphia to preside over the constitutional convention.