Breed Batcheller Explained

Breed Batcheller was an early settler of Roxbury, New Hampshire. He was said to have been unsympathetic to the rebels in the American Revolutionary War, and therefore run out of town, ending up in hiding in Batcheller's Cave for the Summer of 1777.^[1]

Early life

Breed Batcheller was born December 11, 1740.^[2] He learned surveying in Brookfield, Massachusetts.^{[1] [3]}

The first town meeting of Packersfield, New Hampshire, later renamed Nelson, New Hampshire), was held in his home.^[1]

He was a major in the Keene, New Hampshire militia as of the 1773 roll.^[4]

American Revolutionary War

In 1775, he joined in the march to Battles of Lexington and Concord, but returned to New Hampshire before the Battle of Bunker Hill and became an advocate against the rebellion. He hid in Batcheller's Cave, before fleeing to Canada, in 1777.^[1]

Breed Batcheller has been noted as a symbol of "a man who just wouldn't keep his mouth shut" and his story one about the tensions between revolutionary fervor and freedom of speech in the American Revolutionary War.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: History of Roxbury. Town of Roxbury - A good dam town. Town of Roxbury. 28 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151018015950/http://www.roxburynh.org/history-of-roxbury.html#. 2015-10-18. dead.
2. News: Frank. Carolyn. The "Hated Tory of Roxbury" stood up for what he believed in. 29 October 2015. Keene Sentinel. 2004.
3. Book: Temple. Josiah Howard. Adams. Charles. History of North Brookfield, Massachusetts: Preceded by an Account of Old Quabaug, Indian and English Occupation, 1647-1676; Brookfield Records, 1686-1783. town [Boston, printed]. 1887. Boston. 217. Breed Batcheller.. 28 October 2015.
4. Book: Griffin. Simon Goodell. The History of Keene, New Hampshire. 1904. 161. 9780917890215. 28 October 2015.
5. Web site: Peery. Susan. Parsing the Language of Revolution. Keene State College. Keene State Today. 28 October 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150912045305/http://www.keene.edu/kst/2011WINTER/knouff.cfm?I=26. 12 September 2015.