The Wilbraham Men that Helped Save the Federal Armory

In the quiet town of Wilbraham, where the winter air hung heavy with tension and discontent, a group of courageous residents found themselves at the forefront of an unexpected historical event – Shays' Rebellion. As the winds of rebellion blew through the region, the people of Wilbraham played a pivotal role in thwarting Daniel Shays' audacious plan to attack the Federal Armory.

On January 24, 1787, Shays arrived in Wilbraham during the afternoon intending to lodge his soldiers overnight with the local inhabitants including the old abandoned road along Twelve Mile Brook.

Shays dispatched a picket of four men to inspect a nearby house on West Road, belonging to Deacon Noah Warriner, ensuring it was safe for an overnight stay. Upon arrival, they encountered a locked door to the north-front second-floor bedroom chamber. Disturbed by the sounds within, their attempts to gain entry were met with silence. Frustrated, one of them proposed, "Let's smoke him out!" The idea gained unanimous approval, leading them to climb onto the roof. They strategically covered the north flue of the chimney with a damp blanket, intensifying the fire downstairs, and hastened back to the locked chamber.

As the flames roared below, smoke billowed through the fireplace into the room above, creating a stifling atmosphere. To their surprise, the locked door burst open, revealing not a mysterious figure but a distressed woman. She clutched a baby about six months old, emerging from the smoke-filled chamber in distress, coughing and gasping for air. The unconventional method had indeed "smoked them out," though the outcome differed significantly from the men's initial expectations.

It could be possible that this woman’s act was part of a greater plan to keep those men of Shays engaged around the Warriner house, while Deputy Sheriff Asaph King, Col. Abel King, Deacon Noah Warriner, and his next-door neighbor Dr. Samuel Merrick were holding their conference in a nearby house, most likely Dr. Samuel Merrick, to arrange a way to inform General Shepard of Shays plan on attacking the Federal Armory in which the Wilbraham men had learned.

Noah Warriner's house 2009

The insurgents were strategically divided into three main groups, to encircle and launch a simultaneous attack on the armory. Shays commanded one contingent positioned east in Wilbraham, while Luke Day led a second force located across the Connecticut River in West Springfield. Eli Parsons led a third force positioned to the north at Chicopee. Originally, the rebels had planned their assault for January 25th. However, at the eleventh hour, Day changed the date and informed Shays that the attack would be delayed until the 26th. Unfortunately for Shays and Parsons, Day's message was intercepted. 

Fate took an unexpected turn as the rebel messenger, braving the biting cold, sought refuge in a Springfield tavern to ward off the chill. Unbeknownst to him, a group of astute young men at the tavern, sensing a clandestine plot, hospitably plied the messenger with drinks until he succumbed to a drunken slumber. Seizing the opportunity, they skillfully retrieved Day's letter from the messenger's pocket.

However, a more dire fate awaited Shays and his followers. The residents of Wilbraham were not idle in the face of the approaching force. Asaph King, then deputy sheriff, along with Col. Abel King, Dr. Samuel F. Merrick, and Deacon Noah Warriner, convened to devise a plan to alert General Shepard about the imminent threat. Ultimately, it was decided that the responsibility fell on the sheriff.

On the morning of the 25th, as Shays advanced toward Springfield along the Bay Road, Sheriff King mounted a splendid young horse waiting in his barn. Navigating through fields and overcoming obstacles such as knee-deep snow and crusty terrain, he reached West Street (Stony Hill Road). From there he continued west. The journey took a toll on his horse, its legs streaming with blood upon emerging onto the Bay Road. Despite the challenges, King managed to reach the arsenal in just forty-five minutes from leaving Wilbraham.

With King's timely arrival, General Shepard learned crucial details about the size and proximity of Shays' force, enabling him to prepare for the impending confrontation. The weather delayed Shays, who only appeared on the road around four o'clock in the afternoon. 

Consequently, on the 25th, as Shays' and Parsons' militias approached the armory, they were unaware that they would receive no support from the west. Instead, they encountered Shepard's militia lying in wait. Shepard initially ordered warning shots to be fired over the heads of Shays' men, followed by the discharge of grapeshot from two cannons. This action resulted in the death of four Shaysites and the wounding of 20 others. Remarkably, there was no exchange of musket fire between the opposing forces. The collapse of the rebel advance led to most of the insurgent forces fleeing northward. Shays' forces scattered and fled to Ludlow, where they spent the night. Eventually, both Shays' and Day's forces regrouped in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Federal Armory as it looks today

Stories circulated of John Langdon, a veteran of two wars in Shepard's army, recounting how he, with his "Queen's Ann" at the ready, intimidated a squad of Shays' men into surrendering. Despite rumors of a few Wilbraham men in Shays' mob, many from the town stood with General Shepard. Notably, nine Chaffee’s answered the roll call on the morning of the battle, their names causing amusement: "Asa Chaffee, Asa Chaffee, Jr., Comfort Chaffee, Comfort Chaffee, Jr.," and so on. Reports also suggest that near Sessions' place, four or five individuals from the south part of the town, on their way to join the insurgents, were informed of Shays' defeat by someone returning from the conflict, signaling that "it is all over."

Federal Armory late 1800's

Four thousand individuals admitted their involvement in the rebellion by signing confessions in exchange for amnesty. Although several hundred participants faced indictments related to the rebellion, the majority of them were pardoned under a broad amnesty, with only a few key leaders excluded. While eighteen men were initially convicted and sentenced to death, many of these sentences were commuted, overturned on appeal, or the individuals were ultimately pardoned.

Daniel Shays himself was granted a pardon in 1788, leading to his return to Massachusetts from hiding in the Vermont wilderness. He faced significant vilification from the Boston press, which portrayed him as an emblematic anarchist who opposed the government. Later, he relocated to the Conesus area of New York, where he lived out the remainder of his life in poverty and obscurity, passing away in 1825.