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SAMUEL PROCTOR ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM at
the University of Florida.
St. Lucie Tape #18IA
Jim Halbe
November 11, 1967
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Friends, tonight is a very happy night for me because I have been trying for
some time to tell you a bit about the St. Lucie Historical Society. I find
that if we had have met last night we would have been celebrating our
twelveth anniversary. The St. Lucie Historical Society is a non-profit
organization chartered November 25, 1955, dedicated to the study and pre-
servation of historical facts of the Indian River section. We are very happy
that we have with us tonight our first president, Mr. E. W. Halbe, and Mrs.
Ollie Peterson, our first treasurer. It is also very much a great pleasure
to me to welcome back one of our old .home town boys who went to the city
to make good and he did. I see Mrs. Hellier was to introduce him but I
think if she don't want to go, I'll go on with it. I have known
ever since he was born. He went to New York to make good and he's coming
Ick to tell us some of the things he wants us to know. He is one of
staff for the Business Week of New York City. Mr. Jimmy Halbe.
J.H.: I see Marjorie got out of that pretty well. I'm certainly grateful
for this large turnout and great priviledge to speak to you about something
that I've found to be very interesting and very exciting. And if I
succeed this evening in imparting to you some of the excitement that I have
felt and experienced as I get closer and closer to what I'm looking for
I'll be very happy indeed. I know it is customary for the speaker to say
something excruciatingly funny at the beginning and I'm also happy to
say that I don't have to this evening for three reasons. Two of them,
are two friends of mine in the back Harris and Harold Holsberg,
who, I'm sure with absolute sincerity will either drop something or
laugh in the wrong place before I'm finished. The third reason is my
father who) I'm afraid recalls the last time he and I were in the same
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room when either one of us was a speaker was about twenty five years ago
in the Methodist Church when he was talking to the men's club and just
as he got up to speak, I reached up and spilled a glass of water. His notes
were drenched. I haven't the foggiest idea what he said after that. I was
so embarrassed myself, but I have a notion it was something about the
prepatory mess. I think probably the next, the final reason whk don't
have to try too hard to say anything amusingv'because this man I'm going
to talk to you about tonight is himself a very intense man and I can say
with some assurance on the part of myself and anyone else who has undertaken
this exercise, but if in the course of the investigation, the man has
really proved to be rather dull and bland we would have lost interest and
you and would have lost interest. That has not been the case.
He proves himself in every respect to be an intense and exciting person
filled with wide emotional extremes given to gfeat ____ and his i4,
too; filled in many occasions with great tradegy. I think perhaps
the easiest way for me to begin, and I'm going to try as much~I can this
evening to reading what himself has written and injecting my own observations
and thoughts as little as possible. To read what is the best and simplest
and shortest biographical note about Benjamin K. Pierce. There's a great
d eal, we have an immense period of history to cover) but this is very short
and very simple and a couple of places are not quite accurate. But it is
from the military history of the state of New Hampshire published by one of
the Pierce, written by one of the Pierce descendents and published in
Concord in 1866. Frankly by surprise, and this is quite a revelation
and I hope it is to you too, there's an entire section of this very,
very large volume which is a description of the Seminole war in Florida.
And I think that speaks for itself in terms of the number of New Englanders
and New Hampshiremen who were down here at the time to imagine that they
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in a, well, 1866 would have been about a hundred year history of military
affairs in New Hampshire to include a whole section on the Florida war,
was to me quite a surprise. This is what the footnote says. in that
section:
Major Binjamin Kendred Pierce was the eldest son of Gov. Benjamin
Pierce and was born at Hillsborough August 29, 1790. He pursued his
preparatory studies at Phillips Exador Academy and entered government
in the fall of 1807. He continued in that institution for three years
having commences the study of law with David Stab of Hillsborough. This
is the man who later became the tutor and partner of Franklin Pierce.
He continued in Mr,Stab's office until the commencement of the war with
Great Britain. Then he entered the regular army as lieutenant of artillery.
In August 1813 he was promoted to a captaincy. In June 1836 he was promoted
to major of the first regiment of artillery and ordered to Florida.
In October fifteenth 1836 he was made Lieutenent Colonel by his brother.
for distinguished services in the of Fort Dade. I'll interrupt
myself for a moment to explain that. is, it's well out of use
today but it's a promotion that is. ah, you get the entitlements and
pay of the rank but you really don't get therank. You can use the rank but
on the list of seniority in the army you keep your former rank. The same
month in October 1836 he was appointed by Governor Call of Florida and that
was the Richard Keith Call who was the great great grandfather of Mary Call
Collins the wife of Leroy Collins. He was appointed Quartermaster
General and Colonel of the regiment of attached to his army.
In consequence of his arduous duties and sickly climatejColonel Pierce's
health became greatly impaired and -he was ordered north for duty. This
was where there's now an commission. It doesn't say here, after recuperating
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from his illness in 1836 and 1837 he came back to Florida at Fort
Pierce. It's a very disappointing otmmission but this isn't a very
abbreviated footnote. He was stationed after his return from his
second tour in Flrida at Taberg., New York with his regiment. And
subsequently at Holton) this is in Maine and New York City. Subsequent
to his return north in 1838 he was appointed Lieutenent Colonel of the
eighthegiment of infantry. This is New York's famous eighth company
regiment with its armory on Lower Park Avenue. His appointment was
confirmed by the senate but he declined the appointment preferring the
arm of service in which he had stayed so long which was the artillery.
Change o climate, however, did not change his health and he died a
disease of the brain in New York City in 1849) age fifty nine years.
That) too) was a mistake. He died in 1850 at the age of fifty nine.
He died, incidently I even have the address, at Eleven Green Street.
which is in north Manhattan and I intend to go there and see what's there
now at my next opportunity. Well now, toiet this man in some kind of
focus you probably want to know where does he fit into the Pierce family.
And I'm going to takr a certain liberty, if I may, if I can get back
from the microphone just a little bit, and ask you just to imagine that
I have a blackboard here and I'm going to sketch on it the family tree.
We mentioned his father Benjamin Pierce. Just imagine a box up here
with Benjamin. He was born in 1757. He di d in 1839. He was married
twice. His first wife was Elizabeth Andrews whom he married when she was
twenty in 1788. She died in childbirth after delivering a daughter who was
named ElizabetbHi-ext marriage was about a year later when he married a
girl named Anne Hendrick of Elmhurst, Massachusetts. She, too, was the
same age as the former wife, about twenty when they were married. And by
Anne Indrick, Benjamin Pierce had light children. The household had nine
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counting the first daughter. The first of these eight by the second
wife is the man that we're concerned with tonight.enjamin endred taking
his first name from his father and the second name from his mother's
maiden name. He was born on August 29 1790, Now to those of you
who are inclined to count quickly on you fingers, this turns out to be
exactly seven months after they were married. We will assume therefore
that he was two months premature. The next born was a daughter born
to years later name Nancy,' She was born in 1792. Ifll tell you briefly
a little more as we get some of these extra people out of the way. She
married a man named Solomon McNeal, She died in 1837. The next born was
four years after that in 1796 a son name John Sullivan, Four year later
came Harriet, She died in 1837, She married a man named Hugh 'amenson
and that name appears in some of the letters I'm going to read you
tonight, The next was a son named Charles and he died at the age of twenty
five after emigrating to the west, The next son was Franklin who
became the president, He was born in 1804 which makes his fourteen years
younger than Benjamin Kendred, Then there was a daughter and I don't
know her birthdate but she died in infancy. And finally the last sonr
born in 1812 Henry Deerborn. Now what became of these people? Most
important is Elizabeth, the daughter by the first wife. She married a
man named John McNeal and most of the letters I have are to and from the
McNeal family, John McNeal was the son of a revolutionary war veteran
and comrad of Benjamin Pierce, a Hillsborough man. and he was quickly
we missed him in 1808 and became)by virtue of his
rank and his affluence and his wealth and the fact that he married the
oldest daughter. normallyjl would say the head of the family. He was
more senior in age and importance in family affairs -which you will see
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very much in these letter, the man who ran the show. who took care of
the difficulties in which all of them managed to get: loss of parents.
loss of. the death of children. Benjamin Pierce's own being widowed
three times. Benjamin Kendred .I'll tell you about that separately.
He's a most important man. As far as Elizabeth is concerned. I have
traced one relative. one descendant) a man in Boston who is the great
great grandson. The other;I know nothing about'Nancy or John Sullivan. or
Harriet or Charles. The Franklin Pierce family, there are no descendants.
He was married to the daughter of the president of Bodon college. They
have two sons and both were killed in accidents before he became president,
And much of his. the tradegy of his life and this. his own solitude while
he was president from 1852 to: 1856 was because the sons had gone and his
wife was very sickly, Charlie of course, died in infancy, And then
Henry Deerborn, the youngest I met in Hilltborough New Hamoshire two great
great nieces. I don't think that's the right term. Grand nieces
I sunoose greal descendants of Henry Deerborn Miss Mary and Miss Susan
Pierce and these very charmingladies in their late eighties I imagine
are the official hostesses at the the Pierce family homestead" in
Hillsborrough. They alternate each day. The ive in Hillsborough and
they go out a few miles to the family homestead. One is a hostess
one day and one the next. My wife and I were there. We had been
advised earlier by the New Hampshire Historical Society when we went
through and listened to their explanation of what they were saying to
be sure to not interrupt them because if we did they'd start all over
again. However this happy coincidence lead me to the woman who is the
direct descendant of Benjamin endred Pierce. There's a certain amount of
rather natural disorder in all of this because of my efforts to boil things
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as much as possible. Now for Benjamin Kendred, I the summer of 1817. now
I told you from this footnote that he went into the army in 1812 when the
war broke out in Great Britain when for the next five or six years I know
very little about him, Then he suddenly appears in correspondence on MacKinae
Island on the Michigan territory in the late 1816, stationed with army
and I've got a very good guess as why he was there, His brother in law. or
his half brother-in-law. Elizabeth's husband, John. as I say. he was
rising quite rapidly in the army. He had a higher rank, He was the Post
Commander at Mackinac Island, Fort Macinac, The fact that Benjamin
Kendred was there at all I'm sure is because his brother in law asked
for him to be referred to a staff, And later, in the later 1820's.
John Sullivan wound up also at Machinac Island,And I hope you can imagine
the difficulty and the many coincidence-in this kind of research to find
in correspondence and ordering books and so on. two Pierces. both of them
lieutenents.both of them not giving their first names., signing papers and
trying to separate one brother from the other. It's the most agonizing
thing you can imagine. And when you see the similarity in names. for
example Benjamin writing either to his father or later to his brother in law
as dear general and try to figure out which one he is talking about or the
fact that he had a daughter named Harriet and a sister named Harriet and
a daughter named Elizabeth and a sister named Elizabeth.The coincidences
are enormous and very difficult to sort out, Benjamin Kndred in the summer
of 1817. having met the preceding winter a local family of whom the mother
was a full blooded Ottowa Indian and the father a deceased fut(rader
met in the winter social season of Machinac the daughter who's name was
Tosette LaFrambrois, This is quite an interesting woman the mother,
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She was very wealthy. The mother had died. She had taken on his
business. She became the agent for the American Fur Company
which was .ohn Jacob Asters activity in the far west, which cuts
all the way from Michigan clear to Washington State, And she became
quite wealthy in carrying on. She was a fine business woman. She spoke
of course Ottowas and a little French but she was very difficult to
communicate with, He daughter, Josette. however became quite fluent
in French and she and Benjamin Kendred were married in the summer
of 1817. By her he had two children. The first was Harriet in 1818
that's where the coincidence comes with his sister. And the second was
a son in Langdon who was named for the governor of New Hampshire, Langdon
as with all. his two other sons died after only two years. The reason
Harriet is important is because the woman I have met who is the great great
granddaughter of Benjamin Kendred is descended through Harriet. Now Josette
the half breed Ottowa French wife died also after only a few years. She
died in 1823. And Benjamin Kendred then was with one daughter whom he
had to care for and leave with his sister while he was off in the army.
He didn't marry again until 1831. The second wife was Ananda Blakon
of Shasta Alabama, And she, by her he had five children, The first
born was Eliza1eth, The second Amanda the third. Charlotte. and two
sons. Henry Jackson, Henry for his brother and Jackson for the president.
and Benjamin for himself, The two sons also died in their infancy. His third
wife he married in 1838 after returning from Fort Pierce, Her name was
Loisa Reed, She was from Delaware City. Delaware, I forgot to mention
Mr, Boiken, The name Boiken in Alabama is a rather famous one. There
have been many Boikens in congress. And when I mentioned this to a friend
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of mine from Alabama and he recognized the name just like that, Now you
have a picture of Benjamin Kendred and his family, Now I'm simply going
to start I hope give you some idea of how these people fit in with some
of Benjamin Kendred's original letterssome of Franklin's letters which
in most cases quote Benjamin's letters and in many cases others are
written to the father General Pierce in New Hamoshire and General
McNeal the brother-in-law in Boston, The first one, is not
historically significant but it is factual in terms of what it tells
about the social customs and the attitudes at those times and this man,
It's addressed to his father back in Hillsborough, New Hamoshire, And it's
dated Shasta Alabama une ninth 1823:
My:-dear Father: You will no doubt be surprised, but I hooe not
displeased or dissatisfied at the news of my being married, Upon every
view of the subject and after mature affection I found that my prospects
of happiness and respectability will both be brighter by a matrimonial
collection with a female of my choice, While I visited a gentlemen's
house in the state of Alabama I became acquainted with a young lady. Miss
Amanda Blakon with who's reputation, deportment and manners I was
pleased and I commenced addressing her. We were married last evening,
I'm extremely anxious to visit you and with the blessings of providence
I hope and calculate seeing you next season- accompanied by Mrs. Pierce,
Mrs, Pierce's friends are, 'I apologize for not reading the word here
because I'm not sure what it is. It's either weathy or worthy,) Mrs,
Pierce's friends are wealthy or worthy and highly respected, My
connection with her leads to the unqualified approbation of Colonel Fenwick
the lot of my m'.litary friends several of whom have accomnanted me here
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by invitation,I shall probably return to Balancas- which was a fort at
Pensacola towards the last of this month, Give my love to my mother,
my love to my brothers and sisters and receive the same from your
affectionate son P,K. Pierce, And he adds a P.S. I am in haste, By
next May I will write you again, The next one is from New Castle
Delaware, He has now been transferred back to the north from this
very temporary sign, I believe, in Pensacola, He's married to Arnanda
Boiken and by this time he's had at least several of the children I have
mentioned to you earlier, This is addressed to Gen, and Mrs, McNeal
who'sbrother in law and sister are in Boston, My dear brother and sister
six weeks ago today by the accidental upsetting of my carriage the bones
of my leg were broken and otherwise badly bruised in a dreadful and
dangerous manner, I'm now confined to my back upon my bed and probably
shall be for a month longer,I shall be indebted with the blessings of
providence to the blessings of providence if I shall be able to move about
in that time'! The next one is New Castel-
Delaware, August twenty ninth, 1831, to his father. no to his brother
in law, "Dear General. I expected to be moving about long ago. but my wound
heals slow, I'm still confined although in good bodily health, I have
lost my poor little son: Benjamin, He expired on the twenty sixth instant
of what is called the summer complaint. Tell Harriet to write me and I
will write her a long letter as soon as I can get out so as to be moving
about, Tell her Elizabeth Black wishes to have her write to her and that
her friends send her their love, Please excuse my brevity, I'm very-inconvien-
iently situated for writing," The next one is from Fort Hamilton of
New York, which is just at the eastern end of the, northern end of the
.......... Bridge that is there today. Fort Hamilton New York,
January sixteenth 1836 This also is to his brother in law. "Dear
General: Harriet read Elizabeth Anne's letter. I beg your pardon. I'm
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going to have to be very careful with some of these. They're difficult
to read- anyway, "Harriet received Elizabeth Annes's letter and her aunt's
by Mrs, Livingston, who is an awful pretty critter. What a pity
it is that I can't fall in love with her. One thing that I encountered
through all of this was the fact that Benjamin K. Pierce was an awful
manager of money, He was always borrowing money from his brother in
law, August thirtieth. 1836, "My dear General'
I have a splendid opportunity with making for a little money and have some
little fortune. Can you lend me some money? If so can you let me know
as soon as possible. I will give you note with interest for three or
five hundred dollars and can double it in a year and circle it, With a
few thousand dollars I can make a competency for myself and family. This Uis
the first time when a certain opportunity for making money has found me."
The next one is from Franklin and I read it only becmase it mentions
Benjamin, Hillsborough November 6 1836. This is from Franklin to his
father. Dear General: (Benjamin mind you at this time is down in Florida
on his first tour excluding Pensacola at this ioint..) "I have made the
foregoing extracts becuase I know they will afford you and our other friend
pleasure as they have me. The latitude given to Benjamin
by Governor Call I consider under all the circumstances in the highest
degree honorable. And the manner in which the services are noticed in
the Georgia and Florida papers show the instillation in which he is held
in that section, The papers provided I have made the foregoing extract speaks
of Benjamin in several places, It speaks that he performed a march with
baggage riders and seven or eight days provisions for Governor Call
sixty five miles in two days and adds "It is zeal and energy like this that
the times require, It was this that gained the competence of the General
Chief and saves the army from want. It further states They (That is the
prisoners the Indian prisoners ) tell us that the powder is nearly
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exhausted and above all the two head chiefs the most wanted and the
most hostile next to Powell which was the English name
the one of the Miccosukies and the other of the tribe were
killed by Major Pierce at Fort Gray, I think the campaign may now be
splendidly closed. Tragically mistaken he was in that. Now these are
the extracts that Franklin copied down from Benjamins letter to him.
Benjamin says on October 21 1836 of St. Augustine "My dear father I
write to you today on my way to Savannah and Charleston on business by
the appointment of Governor Call Commander in Chief of the army in Florida.
I am in excellent health. (And he adds again having not finished the
first letter.) Savannah Georgia October 23 1836. I arrived here this
evening on my way to Charleston, I leave here today and expect to be
in Charleston tomorrow, I've enclosed Governor Call's orders to me and
the columns from the newspapers which will give you a history of the
late operations. (And then another note Charleston South Carolina
Tuesday October 25 arrived here this morning and at daylight and before
sunrise purchased three hundred horses. I'm in excellent health and spirits.
I shall leave here for Camp Ferry tomorrow wh-ch s on the St. Tohds River
roughly west of Green Cove Springs having done everything required and
accomplished without difficulty. Everything which I had attempted
(excuse I had accomplished everything without difficulty which I had
attempted. Give my love to my dear little children. The president
Andrew Jackson has me Lieutenent Colonel for what he has
termed Distinguished Services at the battle of Fort __. The
next from Governor Call's orders. To enable the army to
move with oromotitude five hundred good fresh horses will be absolutely
necessary. These you are authorized to purchase without delay, You will
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understand that you are your instructions give you full authority to take
any measures for the immediate and expected prosecution of the campaign.
Extract from a Georgia paper. Important from Florida. The
arrived here yesterday from St. Augustine with Major Pierce and
other officers from our gallant little army on board, By this arrival
we had received an exerot from the St. Augustine Herald, which furnishes
the important intelligence which we give below. The first excerot
explains the mission of Major Pierce and his conduct in Florida has already
excited the admiration of our readers. We hope he will be successful
in orocuring all the material necessary for the prosecution of the war.
Then another extract from the St. Augustine Hearald of October 21. We
are leased to learn that Governor Call has conferred uoon Major Pierce the
appointment of Corner Master General of the army. We feel satisfied
that the office could not be in better hands. This one too, if from
Franklin to his brother in law General McNeal inBoston. Washington.
January 15 1937. Dear General: Benjamin has been sick in Savannah- but
is now bette nd expected in by this time at Charleston. He had a
violent attack of Volusia. Volsia was a fort in south of
Orlando somewhere I would say the Kissimmee area. I'm presuming
the name was because the county of Volusia was so large of that time
Immediately after the battle of Wahoo swamp that took lace on November
the twenty first 1836, And his ohysiciankenjamin's physician writes
that he ought not to think of taking the field fro ome time to come. He
is under orders to come to Charleston SoutICarolina and his last letter
dated on the states that he intended to proceed to
that lace immediately. I want to just summarize what's going to take
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place now during the rest of 1837. Pierce was known in Florda the first
time. He has distinguished himself in two military actions
the battle of Fort Gray and the battle of the Wahoo Swamp from the battle
which he was made Lieutenent Colonel and QuartenriKaster General of the
army. He's had this very difficult physical aiment which caused him
to have to be relieved and sent north, He's gone north. He's not far
from Washington when Franklin was there as a senator. He's gone to
New York and taken care of some business gone to Boston and seen his
children who were staying with John the McNeal family and then as an
assignment for the balance of the year he's gone to Detroit on service
for the engineers. I have a few papers here in whcih he describes
surveying the entire route for the reconstruction of the road from
Detroit to Chicago. the distance in some miles and as a result of this
survey he makes recommendations for funding the restruct'on of the road,
Then he comes back to New York and comes down to Washington, Now the
important aspect of his life that we're concerned with begins in Waashington
in roughly October 1837 when he's about to go to Florida a second time
after recovering his health to commence the expidition which resulted in
the founding of Fort Pierce. Washington October 4 18)7 Benjamin
to his brother-in-law,General McNeal, My dear General: I enclose the
note for Mr. Lyion for one thousand dollars. He says he feels much
obliged to you for it, I have not yet asked General McComb what
disposition he will make of me, I am now employed in settling my road
accounts. When I ascertain where and when I am to leave here. I will
write to you" New York City October 29 1837 from Benjamin to his
sister. "My dearly beloved sister: I must leave here a day or two at
furthest for Florida. When at Washington City I asked General Mc Comb
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if he my services at Florida and he said "yes". I then told
him that I would come by way of New York and be in St, Augustine by the
tenth of November. I would not ask to be let off. It would be an injury
to me. I shall have this command of the first regiment of artillery
and shall come on north in the spring. The winter climate is fine
in Florida and I have no objection to a winter comoaign there, I am
greatly in hopes tht my dear sister's health and spirits will be improved.
(I beg your pardon. I can't finish:that sentence.) I wrote to my
brother Franklin at Hillsborough in relation to Elizabeth his daughter
but .least he should not be there I enclose a copy to you. Now the next
few letters are certainly the most important to us locally and that's why
I've gotten to them as quickly as I could. Pierce has received his orders
to go to Florida and he's on the way, He says here from Charleston
South Carolina November 15 1837. "My dear General- I arrived here
yesterday in the steamboat South Carolina in good health with ithe exception
of having suffered from sea sickness, I leave here today on the steamboat
for Savannah to Black Creek which is
in Florida. Then ._ to St. Augustine where my whole regiment is.
The whole regiment I am informed full was transported from Black Creek
on Saturday to St. Augustine and was destined to operate in fhe east side
of the St, Johns's river. I am gratified at this arrangement. It will
lace me in ooen communications with St. Augustine where I wish you and
the girls to write to me. There seems to be various rumors as to the
probable termination of the war. When I arrive in Florida I shall be
better able to judge, (Then he adds a note "My dear sister The general
may be out in the west as he was at this time, But I
need to write to you, and to him at New York and you must open the letters.
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Tell Harriet my daughter that she must write to'often. Also Elizabeth
Anne and Francis and Benny (who are Elizabeth's children) And direct
to me at St. Augustine any communications. With my love toll your
husband and brother B.K, Pierce, Now finally on November 21. 1837
he's in St. Augustine, He takes command of the regiment He visits
Oceola who was taken a prisoner a few weeks earlier in the 'what is
t called Fort Mann or St, Martha at St. Augsustine and his --is what
he says about his plans. "Dear General: I arrived he on Sunday evening
the nineteenth instant a part of the regiment having gone down to Mosquito
River and the remainder seems to embark. on boats here. I have this
morning a command on the regiment and will leave here if the
weather permits tomorrow. The Cherokee Delegation have gone up to
Fort Mellon with General Jessuo to have a talk with the Seminoles.
And they are sanguine that they will come in and the war will end. I
hooe so, I saw Jud Smith and his family yesterday. Jud Smith was a
New Hamoshire man who was appointed Federal Territory Judge in St.
Augustine. and well known to the Pierce family, I saw him yesterday.
Tehy say everything that could be expected or whiched about the character
of your dear lemented son was done. 'I should inject here that the
Pierc6s oldest son John SCott McNeal was killed in Florida
in September 1837. And one of the first things Benjamin did on arrival
in St. Augustine was to visit the young boy's grave. He says. Jud Smith
he will obtain and send to you the resolution of the officers in St.
Angustine I had been so engaged in preparing for my departure
that I have not been able to obtain and give you all the particulars
that I could wish to have done regarding his nephew's ._ But I
shall do it before I leave here, I have been up today to see Oceola.
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Wednesday morni;-g two hours before daylight the captain of the steamboat
has just sent word that we will sail at daylight and therefore obliged to
pack up and say goodbye, Give my love to all. Write to me at St.
Augustine. Your affectionate brother B.K. Pierce. It's at /this
moment that he starts the expedition that results in the founding
of our town. His next letter gets tantalizingly close to what I've been
searching for in these last two summers in New Hamoshire. And htat
is a letter that will tell us I have until the
and call it Fort Pierce. This one is from Camo H on Indian River
Sunday morning December 3 1837, This sight is about fifty miles north of
Titusville. It's the noint where the mosquito lagoon joins Indian River
and there's a narrow sand bar there about a hundred yards long. They had
to haul their boats over this. "My dear General' We expect an express
from St. Augustine this evening and I hope toreceive a letter from some
o f my family and from Harriet, I have not received a letter from
anyone since I left New York. and I am extremely anxious to hear from
you. I am in good health and spirits and in command of the first
regiment of artillery. I wrote last evening a little memorandum which
I enclose to you and will give you some idea about position. Please have
some of your family write to me often, On my arrival at St. Augustine
I was hurried off so quick that I had no time to do anything. I went
over to the grave of our lamented son and I want to mention the subject;
now I ought not to mention the subject now as it will revive your grief,
Camp Indian River, December 18, 1837. 'y dear sister,
I have only time to send by the express a word to you and to Harriet
and Elizabeth and say that I recieved your letters all on-: one sheet
dated November 19, I am in good health and soiritsI hope the war is
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soon closed of which I have the highest hopes'' The third letter and
the last one before he departs for the bluff down there the fort.
This is December 21 1837 in Camp Holloway, "My dear sister: As an
express is to leave here -today by which means I hooe this letter will
eventually reach you I know not when I found time to answer more at
length your letter with Harriet's and Elizabeths'. I am in command
of the first regiment of artillery in this miserable desert wilderness
and have been since the first of October, One narrow strio of land called
the which is that separates the Hillsborough lagoon which
on some maps is what the mosquitoe lagoon called or the Indian River,
We haul boats across from one river to the other, a distance of about
half a mile. It has its name (The next few words really
cause me to my heart to beat faster as I read this, because I thought
it ,says Fort Pierce but it doesn't) I had just bought a fort here,
rAnd here comes out looking almost like Peir) which we call Fort
Anne. We have been here twenty days doing nothing without any means
of taking the filed cut off from all communication. with other divisions
of the army and deprived of the means of sending to the oost office
at St, Augustine, This is a miserable situation. Your letter of the
fourteenth of November which reached me a day or two since is the only
which I have received since T left New York. I must know you must know
how miserable I am in being that situated living on hard bread and
salt oork cut off from all communications with my realatCves and
friends the army is doing nothing. General 'essupo "who was the commanding
general- of the army in Florida at the time) still is negotiating and
talking and God only knows when this ruinous ...... disgraceful war
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may end. One day's report says the war is over. The next day's say it
is contradictory, I'm not only. I'm not only 'something or other)
but I am disgusted. I feel outraged at the situation in which I am placed.
As an old frie:-.d used to say when he got tipsy "I am dammed mad."
You know my dear sister how much I wish to hear from my dear father
my children and from you all. The Whigs have had an uoroarious
celebration of their victory, Do let them rejoice for once in their
lives. They have several victories. I don't believe they will long
retain their ascendency. Whenever, and as soon as I can get to St.
Augustine and have time I will tend to all your wishes my dear sister
in relation to the remains of your dear lamented son. Pray right often
and ask your husband to do the same. -Apoarently the sister and brother
in law are going to New York and he says) "Helen will you be there?
Give my love to them. Elizabeth and the other children and receive the same
for yourself, I am dear sister your most affectionate brother. B..3. Pierce."
The next letter is not one that says it wasn't written from Fort Pierce
it says I've just been to __ Fort Pierce, He's gone
back to St. Augustine, The fort here has been built and apparently
he's written some other letters in which he's described Fort Pierce
but by January twentieth this new is now old and he writes on entirely
different subjects, "My dearly beloved sister. I received your letter
at Washington December thirty first this morning. In order to have left this
city for Indian River this morning on the steamboat but the weather has
prevented my getting out of the harbor, I have fortunately an opportunity
in writing an answer to your letter, It has caused a grief to me to
learn that you are still so much afflicted with grief'about the lose of
her son six months earlier) You must act with Christian resignation and
St. Lucie T ape # 1i4
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Page 20.
reconcile yourself to the disposition of providence. You ought to have
counselation in the belief that the dead are taken care of and that they
are happy and at rest. Such a course is true philosophy and true Christianity.
I fear this war will not terminate this winter. If it does not I intend
at all hazards to come north in the spring. I heard of a melancholy
intelligence of the death of my dear sister, Harriet. She is relieved
fom an affliction far worse from death and is now at rest and at
oeace. I am glad to hear that Harriet and Elizabeth and Sammy are all
well and in New YOrk. I shall never be able to prepare you for your
kindness and maturnal care for my dear little children on my absence.
The next letter is one of January twenty four, 1838-. which the Historical
Commission has purchased and since so much of that has _aoeared in the
paper not lo0g ago I won't read that one now. Now let me quickly
summarize what happens next and give you a closing of this man's life,
It goes back to Fort Pierce once more having been in St. Augustine
to buy supplies for the fort and being quite discouraged at the fact
that supplies were not readily availabtat the time and he goes back
t o New York. takes command once again at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn
and remains there for I think several years. Then he goes to Plattsburgh
New York and I have some letters from there indicating that, not describing
but indicating that he had recently married a third time a woman from
Delaware City Delaware named Elissa Read. Much of the correspondence
from Plattsburgh during the time there is simply taking 4are of the
affairs of his children asking his brother and sister in Bost6n to
send the children to him, writing back to make sure they're properly
proper clothes are purchased fro them. And then to the end of his life
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within the last decade of his life he's given an absolutely miserable
a assignment in Maine, Holton Maine, May 13 1840. "My dear General
He arrived here on the fourth instant from Plattsburgh generally in
good health although weather and was bad. General Eustis for
whom the city of Eust-s was named and whom Pierce knew in Florida
has assumed without any right or authority the command of this post
which oroperly belongs- to me. He ___a sign to his department on his
rank and I told him that I knew him to
be my enemy and that he had slaughtered- me and tried to injure me for
several years past, He's a slanderous rascal, He asked me the other day
before several officers evidently to make an attack uoon me- how I liked
this place. I told him that I thought it was the last place in the world.
He then said you better write an to you brother Frank Pierce
who woe in congress to have this regiment removed, I told him that
I would leave it for him to write to his brother in law Secretary
Secretary of War upon the subject. Upon which we had
a shari and warm tete a tete in which I gave him my mind. much to
his dissaoointment and discomforture. He has disgusted almost every
officer here and while he remains tilere will be not oeace. I took a
bad cold on the march and am not in good health. I hope we may soon have
news of war or peace, In either case we shall not ourselves remain
long in this end of creation, Harriet joins me in love to you all to the
family and yourself. Please write to me often in our exile. Most
a affectionately your brother B.J.Pierce." This also was from Holton
Maine Seotember 21 1840. My dear sister :I'm just going to read excerots
here.) Harriet wrote to you some day since informing you of her engagement
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to be married to Lieutenent Ricketts. He is a very clever young man of most
correct and exemplary habits of most respectable connections
and I have given mu consent and am satisfied for I think he will made
a good husband. Harriet required several articles of dress none of which
can be orocured here. I have therefore thought best for her to go to
Boston so she can obtain not only the necessary articles but to receive your
advice which she desires very much. I intend to accompany her if I cah.
If any rate I shall go for here when she is ready to return to this
place. Then Iwas given I suppose you might call it the marriage license
Yes. it's the certificate of the issuance of the marriage license to
of Harriet his daughter to Lieutenent Ricketts on October 24 1840.
"My dear sister Holton. Main Octoberll. 1841. I arrived here in a
Saturday the ninth in good health and found all except Harriet. On
Sunday she was delivered of her'little daughter and not expected to live
during a day. This morning thanks to God she is better and with great
hope the doctor says she will recover. The little child is quite
pert. In haste your affectionate brother B.K. Pierce." Holton. Maine
November 15 1831, "Dear General 'General McNeal) Harriet is restored
to health although she is not very strong, She remains with us
whilst Lieutenent Ricketts is at Fort Fairfield 'which is farther
north in the woods of Maine) building quarters. His little baby is
right smart and very pretty. She has named her Elizabeth after Elizabeth
McNeal" Holton Maine February 3 1842, "My dear sister I have
nothing to report except the death of Harriet's Ifttle baby and
Elizabeth communicated that to you and that Harriet communicated to you
that distressing intelligence'.' This is another letter that describes
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the political maneuvering in the army at that time. Holton Anril 28 1842.
"My dear General: (McNeal) We have just received the news of the death.
of General Fenwick. This occurance will make me a full Lieutenent Colonel.
(Mind you all this time' he's been only a lieutenant colonel by
__ ) If Col. Wallop is promoted to Colonel in the fourth artillery
in olace of Colonel General Fenwick which deceased then I shall remain in
this regiment as it's lieutenant colonel, But there is a report or
a rumor from Washington that Colonel Wallp will be passed over and in
that case Colonel Prange will be made Colonel in the fourth artillery.
And I Lieutenent Colonel of the Fourth Artillery which will be which
will probably make me stationed at Buffalo or __ Harbor. In
case of this movement I s!-all not be able to send you the money which I
had intended as it would take all of my money which I could at this
moment raise to carry myself and Harriet on the long journey. Colonel
Wallop is in good health is in as good as health as any man. He has
been applying for orders to go to Florida. We're very close to the
Portland Maine January 7 1843 is the last letter of Pierce
in the New Hampshire Historical Society library, It's not particularly
significant but I'll just read it because it's the last one."My dear
sister Idu will think strange perhaps to find my letter dated here.
But late last month I was ordered unexpectedly to repair without
delay to this post and take command of the militia of which this is
headquarters. I'll arrived here the day before yesterday with Elizabeth
who is not in the enjoyment of very good health. Charlotte is with Harriet
at Fort Fairfiled. I intend to return for her at and send her to school
in this state. General Eustis has left here for Florida on a quarter of
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inquiry and will not probably be back for a month or two. We
board at Mrs. Jones. I'm sorry I neglected to mention that now by this
time his third wife has died and he's once again a widower and
having to care for his children as best he can. We board at Mrs.
Jones'. I am in intolerably good health, Harriet and Charlotte
and Mr. Ricketts were so when last I heard from them. I have not had a
letter from the general or yourself since I can remember.It has been
a very long time. I feel very anxious to hear from -you. Permit me
to hear from you as soon as possible. The general has not answered
my letter returning the papers to him corrected in relation to the
Michigan land, Pray et me know if you all enjoy good health. Elizabeth
joins me in love to his sister's children. Elizabeth
Benjamin the general and yourself. Both truly and affectionate
your brother B.K Pierce." This is the last of the manuscript material
and I can only close by saying that the man after this agonizing
turmoil of having his three sons die three wives die and frequently
passed over for promotion and eventually he was taken ill with some of
the disease that he first acquired in Florida. He finally went to
after this difficult time in Maine in the Maine woods
He went to Governor's Island and became First Commander there in
New York Harbor and he died as I said earlier at a rather ordinary
street address in lower Manhattan in the first of Aoril 1.850. Last
fall my wife and I after some more letter writing and research found
where he was buried. The military cemetery on Governor's Island where
he was originally buried was removed entirely there in 1888 because of
the expansion of the church so all the bodies in the cemetery were moved
to Cyorus Hill National Cemetery in Brooklyn and I found it quite easy
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to call uo and ask if they have any records on a Pierce there and the
caretaker found the instantly and we went out there and photographed
it. His grave was in the officer's section and just behind his
tombstone is a written on the back of it is written his daughter's name
indicating that she's buried just behind the place where he is and the
c aretaker indicated that was allowed at that time. More than this on Pierce
I don't know but the whole subject of the man who 'gave his name to our town
the man who's decision at that critical moneit in the winter of 1837 and 1838
after being assigned to go down here and set uo a fort. When he said
those magic words that were repeated so often all over the country
1 et's build it here was ah that decision that critical moment is
what has produced everything that has come after that. Ive tried to think
over in my mind the circumstances that might have existed then and of course
I haven't given up hope that there maybe: be somewhere someday a letter
from him buried in some dusty cabinet that does indeed say to either his
sister or his brother Franklin "I sailed my men down the Indian River and
we landed at this place and we build a fort there and I called it Fort
Pierce." That's missing now but if you stop and think and want to extrapolate
and interoret events about and reconstructing that moment just visualize
a grouo of men by boat moving down the Indian River and the utter impossibility
of landing any where in the Vero Beach area because of the sloppy area
that you know is still there. And then along about the north bridge
look in the west and see this white ridge of sand in the west back from
the swamo area and then coming down to about where our south bridge is
now and see that the white ridge moves out to the shore and there forms
a bluff that goes as far south as you can see. This is why I think that the
theory of where Fort Pierce is which there has been too little evidence
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and we're all seeking that I think the theory and in fact the
Historical Commissions and the County Commissions purchase of the
land ,where we think it is is utterly sound as far as reasoning is
concerned because that indeed as you're coming south from the river is the
first olace you can land. We're going to have to do a Tot more before
we can reconstruct that again and I don't know how it's going to take
us. It's sort of an endless project. Every time I think I'm finished I
get a letter or find some clue that leads me somewhere else. I was
really suooosed to finish this little endeavor for the Historical
Quarterly last year and I told them if indeed my next seasons adventure
in Concord which were last summer should provide new clues that will
lead me off on new tangents. I would have to really it and of course
that's just what I found, In trying to describe what must have haooened
there what the area looked like I did have onestroke of good luck which
I'm awfully leased about. It's a description of Fort Pierce. About that
time but published not until 1856, In our report of sickness at
military oosts all over the United States by the surgeon general. And
in this large volume which was found quite by accident by a manuscripts
librarian in New Hampshire Historical Society Library there is a section
called Fort (ierce. In the footnotes it says "These observations are derived
from the reports of assistant surgeon James R, Conrad'' These observations
are derived from the reports of assistant surgeon .ames. R, Conrad who must
have been here to see!whhat he descibes here. I would estimate ten
y ears earlier which would be about 1846. Well that's very close to the
tme it was founded. Well this is what Fort Pierce, how Fort Pierce .s
described in a book published in 1856, "Fort Pierce one hundred and
seventy miles south of St. Augustine is situated on a bluff about
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fifteen feet above the water level on Indian River on which it it established.
The bluff on which -the post is located is part of a high range of land
which extends along the border of the river for many miles
and is the most elevated portion of land in this region of the country.
Two hundred yards west of the post there is a pond about three fourths
of a mile in circumference. The principal part of which is dry during
the summer exposiong a sandy bottom which is now covered with grass.
Now let's adventure ourselves for a moment and think about the reason
involved here. He landed in the first olace where he can land and the
first soot there is the bluff and indeed there he finds it three quarters
west which would now be the northern portion of the savannah. This
the country generally is very low and then the rainy season is covered
with water. Infact there appears to be a succession of nonds partially
dried during the warm season, the savannah, The
water of the river is highly imoregnated with salt and abounds in oysters
and fish of the finest description. This is perfectly reasonable. One
might think at first that the Indian River is in reality a river
but as we all know it really is just a bay of the ocean, The _
country consists of loose sand and is very ooor producing oines scrub
oat and occasionally palmetto. That's sure right. The water you've
been drinking is impregnated with separated hydrogen- and effects the
bowels of those not accustomed to it. These affects however soon
wear off and it becomes palatable and wholesome. The prevailing winds
in summer are southeast or tradewinds and northernly winds in winter.
The heat of the vertical sun in the summer season is very oooresssing
pushed together with the mosquitoes. Then there's a residence here
during the month of May June July and August
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But they became pretty supportable for the pioneers. though. These
evils are however greatly -eliminated by the
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