Введение
Американский судостроитель Рубен Колберн (1740–1818) был кораблестроителем в Питтстоне, штат Мэн, и внес значительный вклад в усилия американцев во время Войны за независимость. Его дом, Дом майора Рубена Колберна, включен в Национальный реестр исторических мест.
Reuben Colburn (1740–1818) was a shipbuilder in Pittston, Maine who made great contributions to the American side in the Revolutionary War. His home, the Major Reuben Colburn House, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Биография
В 1761 году Колберн, его семеро братьев и сестер и родители переехали в Гардинерстон, штат Мэн, который тогда был провинцией Массачусетса. Он прибыл в период нарастающего напряжения между колонистами и британцами. Ярый патриот, Колберн, лесоруб и судостроитель, взялся за оружие в 1775 году, когда началась революция, и возглавил местный комитет безопасности. Чтобы привлечь местных индейцев на сторону американцев, он собрал племена абенаки из Сент-Франсиса. Путешествуя на каноэ, Колберн привёл их в Кембридж, штат Массачусетс, на аудиенцию к генералу Джорджу Вашингтону в его временной штаб-квартире. Удивлённый Вашингтон встретил их с распростёртыми объятиями и завербовал вождей на месте. Когда Колберну сообщили о плане захвата Квебек-Сити под командованием американского полковника Бенедикта Арнольда, он предложил свои услуги Континентальной армии, включая разведчиков, карты и лодки. Арнольд был в восторге от этой поддержки и немедленно написал Колберну:
Sir, His Excellency General Washington Desires you will Inform your self how soon, there can be procured, or built, at Kennebec, Two hundred light Bateaux Capable of Carrying Six or Seven Men each, with their Provisions & Baggage, (say 100 wt. to each man) the Boats to be furnished with four Oars two Paddles & two Setting Poles each, the expense of Building them & whether a sufficient quantity of Nails can be procured with you. Colburn sped to Maine, making plans for the expedition. Once home, he put his crew to work building the bateaux and procuring the foodstuffs from the local citizenry, many of them Tories unsympathetic to the patriot cause. He ordered maps and sent three scouts to explore the upper Dead River ahead of the coming army. Colburn made three trips to Cambridge during August of that year while the crews, under the supervision of his brothers, Oliver and Benjamin Colburn, and partner Thomas Agry, labored to fill the contract. They had only fifteen days to complete the task. Due to the short time frame and time of year, no dried pine was available and he was forced to cut fresh green pine to attach to the oak ribs. When the transports arrived on September 20, 1775, the bateaux were just about finished. With Arnold on the transport Broad Bay was a 19 year old volunteer soldier by the name of Aaron Burr. Both were entertained in the Colburn home for three days until the army moved on upriver to Fort Western. Many legends surround the activities of Burr, but his stay with Reuben and Elizabeth Colburn is well documented. Two divisions remained at Colburn House for a week. Colburn followed the expedition with a company of carpenters, fixing the flotilla as needed. The army barely made it through to supplies in Canada, and the 600 remaining men led by Arnold later mounted an unsuccessful attack on Quebec. Most of the commanders were captured and Arnold received the leg wound that plagued him for the rest of his days. Colburn and his brothers returned to Pittston, where he continued to build ships and support the American cause for the remainder of the war. He served in the Massachusetts General Court and was a delegate to the Falmouth Convention, where he was the first to vote for statehood for Maine. That effort failed. Colburn was never paid in full the money promised him by Washington. Thus, in the winter of 1776, when he first contacted Washington about the matter, a campaign began to gain payment that would last until the last family member failed in 1856. September 1775 Colburn received a cash payment of £332 10s 6d receipted September 12, 1775 with a credit to the United States of £159 10s 6d Colburn's receipts in the George Washington papers at the Library of Congress show he received £26 total money;
September 1775 to February 20, 1782 Colburn could not obtain a settlement from Benedict Arnold. Kenneth Roberts' 1929 novel Arundel mentions Reuben Colburn on several pages. The journals of the members of the original expedition compiled by Roberts in March to Quebec are a critical primary source for the ill fated Arnold Expedition. A new biography of Reuben Colburn: "Patriot on the Kennebec: Major Reuben Colburn, Benedict Arnold and the March to Quebec 1775" by Colburn descendant Mark A. York, was published by The History Press of Charleston, South Carolina, in February 2012.
"Сэр, Его Превосходительство генерал Вашингтон желает узнать, как скоро можно будет достать или построить на реке Кеннебек двести лёгких бато, способных перевозить по шесть или семь человек каждый, с их провизией и багажом (примерно по 100 фунтов на человека). Лодки должны быть оснащены четырьмя вёслами, двумя вёслами-рулями и двумя отталкивающими шестами, а также необходимо узнать стоимость их постройки и можно ли у вас достать достаточно гвоздей."
Sir, His Excellency General Washington Desires you will Inform your self how soon, there can be procured, or built, at Kennebec, Two hundred light Bateaux Capable of Carrying Six or Seven Men each, with their Provisions & Baggage, (say 100 wt. to each man) the Boats to be furnished with four Oars two Paddles & two Setting Poles each, the expense of Building them & whether a sufficient quantity of Nails can be procured with you. Colburn sped to Maine, making plans for the expedition. Once home, he put his crew to work building the bateaux and procuring the foodstuffs from the local citizenry, many of them Tories unsympathetic to the patriot cause. He ordered maps and sent three scouts to explore the upper Dead River ahead of the coming army. Colburn made three trips to Cambridge during August of that year while the crews, under the supervision of his brothers, Oliver and Benjamin Colburn, and partner Thomas Agry, labored to fill the contract. They had only fifteen days to complete the task. Due to the short time frame and time of year, no dried pine was available and he was forced to cut fresh green pine to attach to the oak ribs. When the transports arrived on September 20, 1775, the bateaux were just about finished. With Arnold on the transport Broad Bay was a 19 year old volunteer soldier by the name of Aaron Burr. Both were entertained in the Colburn home for three days until the army moved on upriver to Fort Western. Many legends surround the activities of Burr, but his stay with Reuben and Elizabeth Colburn is well documented. Two divisions remained at Colburn House for a week. Colburn followed the expedition with a company of carpenters, fixing the flotilla as needed. The army barely made it through to supplies in Canada, and the 600 remaining men led by Arnold later mounted an unsuccessful attack on Quebec. Most of the commanders were captured and Arnold received the leg wound that plagued him for the rest of his days. Colburn and his brothers returned to Pittston, where he continued to build ships and support the American cause for the remainder of the war. He served in the Massachusetts General Court and was a delegate to the Falmouth Convention, where he was the first to vote for statehood for Maine. That effort failed. Colburn was never paid in full the money promised him by Washington. Thus, in the winter of 1776, when he first contacted Washington about the matter, a campaign began to gain payment that would last until the last family member failed in 1856. September 1775 Colburn received a cash payment of £332 10s 6d receipted September 12, 1775 with a credit to the United States of £159 10s 6d Colburn's receipts in the George Washington papers at the Library of Congress show he received £26 total money;
September 1775 to February 20, 1782 Colburn could not obtain a settlement from Benedict Arnold. Kenneth Roberts' 1929 novel Arundel mentions Reuben Colburn on several pages. The journals of the members of the original expedition compiled by Roberts in March to Quebec are a critical primary source for the ill fated Arnold Expedition. A new biography of Reuben Colburn: "Patriot on the Kennebec: Major Reuben Colburn, Benedict Arnold and the March to Quebec 1775" by Colburn descendant Mark A. York, was published by The History Press of Charleston, South Carolina, in February 2012.
Колберн поспешил в Мэн, чтобы спланировать экспедицию. Вернувшись домой, он заставил свою команду строить бато и закупать продукты у местного населения, многие из которых были тори, не симпатизировавшие делу патриотов. Он заказал карты и отправил трёх разведчиков, чтобы они разведали местность на верхней части реки Дед-Ривер, перед армией. В августе того же года Колберн трижды ездил в Кембридж, пока его команда, под руководством братьев Оливера и Бенджамина Колбернов и партнёра Томаса Агри, работала над выполнением контракта. На выполнение задачи у них было всего пятнадцать дней. Из-за короткого срока и времени года сухой сосны не было, и ему пришлось использовать свежую зелёную сосну для крепления к дубовым рёбрам. Когда 20 сентября 1775 года прибыли транспортные суда, бато были почти готовы. На борту транспорта "Брод-Бей", вместе с Арнольдом, находился 19-летний доброволец по имени Аарон Бёрр. Оба были приняты в доме Колбернов на три дня, пока армия не двинулась вверх по реке к форту Вестерн. Вокруг деятельности Бёрра ходит много легенд, но его пребывание у Рубена и Элизабет Колбернов хорошо задокументировано. Две дивизии оставались в доме Колбернов в течение недели. Колберн следовал за экспедицией с бригадой плотников, ремонтируя флотилию по мере необходимости. Армия едва добралась до снабжения в Канаде, а оставшиеся 600 человек во главе с Арнольдом позже предприняли неудачную атаку на Квебек. Большинство командиров были взяты в плен, а Арнольд получил рану в ногу, которая преследовала его всю оставшуюся жизнь. Колберн и его братья вернулись в Питтстон, где он продолжал строить корабли и поддерживать американское дело до конца войны. Он служил в Генеральном суде штата Массачусетс и был делегатом на Фалмутской конвенции, где первым проголосовал за предоставление штату Мэн государственности. Однако это предприятие не увенчалось успехом. Колберну так и не выплатили полностью обещанные Вашингтоном деньги. Поэтому зимой 1776 года, когда он впервые обратился к Вашингтону по этому вопросу, началась кампания за получение выплаты, которая продолжалась до 1856 года, когда умер последний член семьи. В сентябре 1775 года Колберн получил денежную выплату в размере 332 фунтов стерлингов 10 шиллингов 6 пенсов, подтверждённую 12 сентября 1775 года, с кредитом в пользу Соединённых Штатов в размере 159 фунтов стерлингов 10 шиллингов 6 пенсов. Квитанции Колберна в бумагах Джорджа Вашингтона, хранящихся в Библиотеке Конгресса, показывают, что он получил в общей сложности 26 фунтов стерлингов; с сентября 1775 года по 20 февраля 1782 года Колберн не смог добиться урегулирования от Бенедикта Арнольда. В романе Кеннета Робертса "Арундел" (1929) Рубен Колберн упоминается на нескольких страницах. Дневники членов первоначальной экспедиции, составленные Робертсом в марте в Квебек, являются важным первоисточником для злополучной экспедиции Арнольда. Новая биография Рубена Колберна: "Патриот на Кенебеке: майор Рубен Колберн, Бенедикт Арнольд и марш в Квебек 1775" авторства потомка Колберна, Марка А. Йорка, была опубликована издательством The History Press из Чарльстона, Южная Каролина, в феврале 2012 года.
Sir, His Excellency General Washington Desires you will Inform your self how soon, there can be procured, or built, at Kennebec, Two hundred light Bateaux Capable of Carrying Six or Seven Men each, with their Provisions & Baggage, (say 100 wt. to each man) the Boats to be furnished with four Oars two Paddles & two Setting Poles each, the expense of Building them & whether a sufficient quantity of Nails can be procured with you. Colburn sped to Maine, making plans for the expedition. Once home, he put his crew to work building the bateaux and procuring the foodstuffs from the local citizenry, many of them Tories unsympathetic to the patriot cause. He ordered maps and sent three scouts to explore the upper Dead River ahead of the coming army. Colburn made three trips to Cambridge during August of that year while the crews, under the supervision of his brothers, Oliver and Benjamin Colburn, and partner Thomas Agry, labored to fill the contract. They had only fifteen days to complete the task. Due to the short time frame and time of year, no dried pine was available and he was forced to cut fresh green pine to attach to the oak ribs. When the transports arrived on September 20, 1775, the bateaux were just about finished. With Arnold on the transport Broad Bay was a 19 year old volunteer soldier by the name of Aaron Burr. Both were entertained in the Colburn home for three days until the army moved on upriver to Fort Western. Many legends surround the activities of Burr, but his stay with Reuben and Elizabeth Colburn is well documented. Two divisions remained at Colburn House for a week. Colburn followed the expedition with a company of carpenters, fixing the flotilla as needed. The army barely made it through to supplies in Canada, and the 600 remaining men led by Arnold later mounted an unsuccessful attack on Quebec. Most of the commanders were captured and Arnold received the leg wound that plagued him for the rest of his days. Colburn and his brothers returned to Pittston, where he continued to build ships and support the American cause for the remainder of the war. He served in the Massachusetts General Court and was a delegate to the Falmouth Convention, where he was the first to vote for statehood for Maine. That effort failed. Colburn was never paid in full the money promised him by Washington. Thus, in the winter of 1776, when he first contacted Washington about the matter, a campaign began to gain payment that would last until the last family member failed in 1856. September 1775 Colburn received a cash payment of £332 10s 6d receipted September 12, 1775 with a credit to the United States of £159 10s 6d Colburn's receipts in the George Washington papers at the Library of Congress show he received £26 total money;
September 1775 to February 20, 1782 Colburn could not obtain a settlement from Benedict Arnold. Kenneth Roberts' 1929 novel Arundel mentions Reuben Colburn on several pages. The journals of the members of the original expedition compiled by Roberts in March to Quebec are a critical primary source for the ill fated Arnold Expedition. A new biography of Reuben Colburn: "Patriot on the Kennebec: Major Reuben Colburn, Benedict Arnold and the March to Quebec 1775" by Colburn descendant Mark A. York, was published by The History Press of Charleston, South Carolina, in February 2012.