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At the same time, agreeably to the military code until that time in force, he retained the offices of
Colonel of the First Middlesex Regiment, and
Captain of the train-band of
Cambridge.
The officer in immediate command of the train-band was styled
Captain Lieutenant, though ranking as
Captain.
Thus the records in the office of the
Secretary of State show that in 1763 commissions were issued to
William Brattle,
Colonel, and
Henry Vassall,
Lieut.—colonel, of the 1st Regiment in
Middlesex, also to
Edward Marrett,
Capt. Lieutenant,
Eliphalet Robbins,
2d Lieutenant, and
William Gamage,
Ensign of the train-band.
In 1765,
Eliphalet Robbins became
Capt. Lieut.,
William Gamage,
2d Lieut., and
Seth Hastings,
Ensign, who was soon afterwards succeeded by
Thomas Gardner.
In 1771, commissions were issued to ‘Honble
William Brattle,
Esq. Major General of the militia throughout the Province’; also to Honble
William Brattle,
Esq.,
Colonel;
Thomas Oliver,
Esq.,
Lieut. Colonel of the 1st Regiment in
Middlesex;
1 and in the same year,
Thomas Gardner became
Capt. Lieut.,
Samuel Thatcher,
2d Lieut., and
John Gardner,
Ensign, of the train-band, which up to that time included the militia on the south side of the river.
There was another trainband in
Menotomy (
Arlington), of which
Ephraim Frost was
Captain,
William Cutler,
Lieut., and
Daniel Brown,
Ensign, in 1766; and
Ephraim Frost,
Captain,
Daniel Brown,
Lieut., and
William Adams,
Ensign, in 1771.
There are traces also of a Cavalry company styled the Troop, whose Captain and two Lieutenants, like those of the present company of Cadets, ranked as Colonel, Lieutenant-colonel, and Major.
Of this company, probably including members from several towns, some of the commanders were Cambridge men. When the Governor commenced a journey ‘by land for his other government of New Hampshire,’ Oct. 15, 1716, he ‘was met by Spencer Phips, Esq., with his Troop of horse, the Sheriff of Middlesex, and other gentlemen of the county, and by them conducted to Harvard College in Cambridge,’ etc.2 It is not unlikely that the elder Col. John Vassall may have derived his title from the command of the same company; but I find no definite designation of officers succeeding Colonel Phips until 1771, when his son David Phips was commissioned Captain, and John Vassall3 and Jonathan Snelling Lieutenants, with the rank respectively of Colonel, Lieutenant-colonel, and Major.
