During his declining years he was cheered by the companionship of his
children, most of whom were married and settled near him, and being in
the enjoyment of a competence, he was vastly better off than the
majority of the soldiers who had fought with and under him during the
Revolution, for many of them were impoverished.
He preserved his strong will-power and great physical strength to the
end of his days, notwithstanding the ravages of disease, and in 1786,
four years before he died, performed a journey to his birthplace in
Danvers, riding all the way on horseback, though with frequent stops by
the way not only for rest, but on account of the people who flocked out
to see him and desired to entertain the famous fighter in so many wars.
This was the last of his ventures afield, and henceforth he confined his
excursions to visiting the homes of his sons and daughters, and to trips
around his farm, though on Sundays and "prayer-meeting nights" he would
always be found in the meeting-house at the Green, where he was a
regular attendant. It is related that at one of the evening meetings one
of his fellow worshipers aroused him, by expressing his own conviction
that any person who had ever used profane language could hardly be
considered a model Christian.
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