Abner Sanger And Matt Patten

Abner Sanger and Matthew Patten Abner Sanger and Matthew Patten are men who lived during the Revolution. Sanger was from Keene and Patten was from Bedford. Sanger was a Tory farmer and Patten was a surveyor and a Patriot farmer. Sanger and Patten had different experienced. Both men had their reasons for getting involved in the American Revolution.

Sanger read a lot of Edmund Burke’s and John Locke’s works. Burke was a member of the British Parliament. He urged conciliation to American colonists. Locke was a Philosopher. He wrote writings that had influences on the American Revolution. Sanger heard about that the Mob was coming and then heard news about a fight with the regulars. The regulars where in Concord, Lexington and Arlington Mass. Sanger heard about lots of people being killed. At this time Keene was in an uproar. Because of this, people started to enlist the next morning to go fight the Regulars. Wyman was chosen captain and Sergeant Thomas Baker is chosen lieutenant. The next day, Isaac Esty comes to Houghton’s and offers Sanger his gun to go and fight the Regulars.

Westmoreland mobbers come to Keene. The mobbers attack Sanger and his brother. They get taken and carried to a violent committee. They were condemned and locked into a close prison. After this Sanger is confined to Mr. Ralston’s house within doors. He now needed passes to travel. Sanger’s brother joined the British Army on May 26, 1777.

Sanger gets another imprisonment. Someone said he swung an axe at the rebels and told them to “disperse you damn’d rebels”. It was also said that Sanger drank a toast to the king and confusion to Americans. Anyways Sanger pled not guilty. He thought that the colonies didn’t have a right to declare independence. Sanger felt it was his job to say against the proceedings of the congress. It took the court two weeks to come to a decision. Sanger was taken to the jail in Charleston. Since Sanger was poor he couldn’t obtain sureties so the Colonel Hunt took him under his wing on his own farm. His diary ends Captain Mack goes to Keene with his mob to rob the Tories.

Matthew Patten liked to read the Melancholy news. The General Gages troops fired on the Contrymen at Concord, which killed a large number of the town. The johns got ready to set off to the army. Matthew stocked guns. He meets with the men that listed to go into the army. His John died of small pox. The army forced Bob to move or be left behind. Bob was shot through his left arm and Matthew thinks that moving him killed him. Things were bought by on credit. People did not have a lot of money to buy the things they needed.

I think most men got involved the revolution because they were concerned about surviving. The working and living conditions for people then were not great. Seems like in both stories the boys had people around them who were sick. The American Revolution time period had a high increase with morality rates. Musket’s were very important weapon during the revolution. I think most people would have wanted the independence because then everyone would be free. But like anything some people love the new up and coming laws and others despise it! For example, Obama care, some people are for it and others hate the idea of it. I had a hard time understanding Matthew’s diary. I found both of these diaries to be interesting because it is what someone went through during the time.

Revolutionary War era muskets, with a bayonet. George C. Neumann Collection, Valley Forge National Historic Park.

"Militia at First Line." Reenactors at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. Online at http://www.nps.gov/guco/photosmultimedia/Living-History.htm