Daniel Hall was born on 14 October 1754, in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, the son of Lot and Hannah (Doane) Hall. Daniel’s siblings were Lot, Urian, and William^.1

19 April 1775, is best known for the Battles of Lexington and Concord. However, in the small coastal town of Marshfield, Massachusetts south of Boston were stationed 100 British troops sent by General Gage to protect its Tory townsmen. The local militia of Marshfield and neighboring Plymouth plotted to attack the British troops but hesitated due to rumors of British cannons. With word from the events at Lexington, Captain Willie Thomas alerted the town, and militia companies from Plymouth and Barnstable Counties mustered for the Alarm at Marshfield. The “Pay Roll of the Men who went from Barnstable under the command of Colonel Joseph Otis on the Alarm at Marshfield 19 April 1775” in Captain Micah Hamlin’s company includes Private Daniel Hall, with monthly wages of 2 pounds, time spent two days and miles traveled 15.²

Aged 22 years, Daniel Hall married Mehitable Gorham, daughter of Benjamin and Mary Gorham, on 31 October 1776, at Barnstable. As the war progressed, British shipping was under attack by American privateers, granted letters-of-marque by the Provincial State Authorities with the express purpose of capturing British vessels and cargo. September 1778, British Major-General Charles Grey was ordered to lead a fleet of British ships to attack the coastal communities of Buzzard’s Bay, which harbored the privateering ships, crews, and storehouses. Landing at Clark’s Cove on 4 September, the British burned and destroyed buildings, ships, and wharves supporting the American privateers. In response, Massachusetts militia General Joseph Otis called an alarm at Bedford, Dartmouth, and Falmouth. “A Payroll & Millage due to Captain George Lewis’s Company of militia in Colonel Freeman’s Regiment on the Alarm at Bedford, Dartmouth, and Falmouth in the Service of the State on 6 September 1778 lists 89 men, including Private Daniel Hall, with five days service, and wages of  £1, 6 shillings and 8 pence.³   

Earlier in 1778, the brigantine General Arnold, captained by James Magee with its crew of 120 and mounting 22 guns, was issued “letters-of-marque” by Massachusetts Court granting it privateer status. As Lieutenant of the marines, commanded by his brother-in-law Captain John Russell, Daniel Hall was among the crew of the General Arnold when on 24 December 1778, and in the company of the brigantine Revenge, she departed Boston with intentions of sailing to the West Indies in search of British ships and their prized cargo. Before clearing Cape Cod Bay, a “nor’easter” caused Captain Magee to seek shelter at Plymouth Harbor. Heavy winds and surf drove the General Arnold ashore while the icy waters flooded below decks. Forced onto the quarterdeck, the crew huddled together in an effort to survive the freezing conditions. By mid-day of the 28th, rescuers from Plymouth reached the General Arnold,  tragically finding only 34 of its crew survived. Lieutenant Daniel Hall and Captain John Russell were among the dead.⁴

Lieutenant Daniel Hall, age 24 years, was buried with his brother-in-law Captain John Russell at Burial Hill Cemetery in Plymouth in a single grave, with about sixty of the perished crew buried in a mass grave at the southwest side of Burial Hill. Mrs. Mehitable (Gorham) Hall died on 22 September 1784 and was buried at Lothrop Hill Cemetery in Barnstable.

Sources:

1. Yarmouth, Massachusetts Town Records, Vol. 3, page 219
2. Massachusetts Secretary of State. Muster/Payrolls, and Various Papers (1763-1808) of the Revolutionary War [Massachusetts and Rhode Island], Micropublication FHC, Washington: National Archives.
   • Vol. 12, page 117
   • Vol. 36, page 111 
3. Thacher, James, History of the Town of Plymouth, From its First Settlement in 1620, to the Year 1832, Massachusetts. Boston: Marsh, Capen & Lyon, 1838, pages 210-211