Moses Sash was born in 1755 in Stoughton, Massachusetts to Moses and Sarah Colley Sash. According to Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Vol. 13, pg. 826), he stood 5 feet, 8 inches tall and had a black complexion and black hair. He gave his occupation as farmer. On March 17, 1785, Moses married Abigail Richardson in Cummington, Massachusetts. By 1790, the couple had moved to nearby Worthington and by 1797, they were in Townsend, Vermont. By 1810, they were living in Harford, Connecticut. Moses died there on May 1, 1828.
In the 1780s Sash was a “Regulator” or “Insurgent” in Shays’ Rebellion. Daniel Shays, a farmer, and veteran of the Revolutionary War led the rebellion, which started in 1786. Following the war, farmers found they could no longer buy on credit and pay their debts through the exchange of goods and services, but there was almost no coinage in circulation and no paper money. In addition, veterans found that the compensation they received for their service was not enough for survival and many became destitute as their farms were foreclosed upon. They opted to fight against the Massachusetts government by attacking its buildings, especially courthouses. In January of 1787, the Regulators attempted and failed to capture the United States Arsenal at Springfield, Massachusetts, and during their retreat, Moses was captured by government troops. He was apparently trying to obtain arms for the Regulators encamped at Pelham, Massachusetts, where they had retreated following the bloody encounter at Springfield. The first of the two indictments issued against him identified Sash as "a Captain & one of Shaises council." According to the jurors, Moses was a Negro man & Labourer" who:
being a disorderly, riotous & seditious person & minding and contriving as much as in him lay unlawfully by force of arms...promote[d] and maintain[ed] riots tumults mobs insurrections in this Commonwealth.
He was further accused of taking a leading role in recruiting and encouraging armed opposition to the state. He:
did advise persuade invite incourage and procure divers persons…by force of arms to oppose this government and Commonwealth.
To achieve these ends, Sash had "unlawfully & seditiously" procured "guns, bayonets, pistols, swords, gunpowder, bullets, blankets and provisions" to arm fellow "riotous & seditious persons." The second indictment declared that Sash "did steal and carry away" two guns valued at five pounds. It is not clear why the court identified him as part of Shays’ council, although this may have referred to his activities in recruiting men to join the Regulators. Despite the gravity of the charges, no subsequent action was taken. With the election of Governor Hancock in April 1787, the government dropped the charges.
Military Service
Sources Consulted
Worthington, Massachusetts 1790 & 1800 federal censuses
Cummington, Massachusetts vital records