Luke Day Jr. (July 21, 1743 – June 1, 1801) was an American military officer, revolutionary, and farmer, most familiar for his leadership role in

Shays' Rebellion Shays's Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes on both in ...

, for which he was convicted of

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

and

sentenced to death Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

, before being

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

ed by Governor

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...

. He was referred to as the "Master Spirit" of the insurrection, and was only passed over as overall leader in favor of

Daniel Shays Daniel Shays (August 1747 – September 29, 1825) was an American soldier, revolutionary and farmer famous for allegedly leading Shays' Rebellion, a populist uprising against controversial debt collection and tax policies that took place in Mass ...

due to the perception of overzealousness on his part, by his men. As a lieutenant, and then a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, he served for eight years and participated in many key battles of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, including the

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. In the siege, Patriot (American Revolution), American patriot militia led by newly-installed Continental Army commander George Wash ...

, Quebec Expedition,

Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) were two battles between the American Continental Army and the British Army fought near Saratoga, New York, concluding the Saratoga campaign in the American Revolutionary War. The seco ...

Cherry Valley massacre The Cherry Valley massacre was an attack by British and Iroquois forces on a fort and the town of Cherry Valley in central New York on November 11, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It has been described as one of the most horrific f ...

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign) was a United States military campaign under the command of General John Sullivan (general), John Sullivan duri ...

and

Siege of Yorktown The siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, was the final battle of the American Revolutionary War. It was won decisively by the Continental Army, led by George Washington, with support from the Ma ...

. After the war, he joined the prestigious

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

, which included the likes of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

and

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

Early life

Luke Day Jr. was born in 1743, in what is now

West Springfield, Massachusetts West Springfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 28,835 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is also known as "West ...

, the oldest son of Luke Day, Sr. and Jerusha (Skinner) Day. He was christened 10 days later at the First Congregational Church. On August 20, 1762, he announced his intention of marriage to Lydia Kelsey, originally of Killingworth Township, Connecticut, then of

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield metrop ...

, daughter of Stephen Kelsey, Jr. and Lydia (Noble) Kelsey, and they married soon after. The Days and Kelseys had ties going back at least to the founding of

Hartford, CT Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of ...

, where Robert Day and William Kelsey were neighbors. Luke and Lydia had ten children, although only five, four sons and a daughter, survived to adulthood. Luke was referred to as a

Gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

, and was well-educated. He was deeply religious and sought counsel from both his minister and the Bible itself for the grievances of the people. In particular, he was inspired by this Bible passage:

Family

The Days were one of the most prominent families in West Springfield, holding many positions in the local and state government. His father's cousin,

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Benjamin Day was called "the most prominent man on the west side of the river." In addition to a successful military career, Benjamin served many terms as a representative to the

General Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. The name "General Court" is a holdover from the earliest days ...

, and was the first moderator and one of the original

selectmen The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common numb ...

of West Springfield. Benjamin also raised ninety pounds for the purchase of arms to be used in the Revolutionary War. Another of his father's cousins, William Day, was a

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship, inc ...

and a hero of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

for capturing a French

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

, and was the subject of a painting by

John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was believed to be born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley ...

. William was a member of the committee that approved the Sheffield Declaration. This William Day is a potential candidate to be the Captain William Day who earned Revolutionary War fame as the first American sea captain to be recognized by a foreign government (France). Luke's cousin, Josiah, owned a

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

, which still stands today as the oldest known brick

saltbox A saltbox house is a gable-roofed residential structure that is typically two stories in the front and one in the rear. It is a traditional New England style of home, originally timber framed, which takes its name from its resemblance to a wood ...

-style house in the country, and serves as a family museum. Luke is known to have trained his men in the commons area in front of this house, and it may have even served as his headquarters. Luke's brother-in-law (and first cousin) was

Justin Morgan Justin Morgan (February 28, 1747 – March 22, 1798) was a U.S. horse breeder and composer. He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and by 1788 had settled in Vermont. In addition to being a horse breeder and farmer, he was a teacher of ...

, who developed the

Morgan horse The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Tracing back to the foundation bloodstock, foundation sire Figure (horse), Figure, later named Justin Morgan after his best-known owner, Morgans served ma ...

breed and composed music, which survives today. Luke's brother, Thomas, also served in the Revolution as a lieutenant.

Revolutionary War

Day, then a second lieutenant in Captain Enoch Chapin's company of

minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

, marched on

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

on April 20, 1775, in response to the

Lexington Alarm The Lexington Alarm announced, throughout the American Colonies, that the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War began with the Battle of Lexington and the Siege of Boston on April 19, 1775. The goal was to rally patriots at a grass roots ...

of the previous day. He served in Danielson's Regiment for the remainder of 1775 during the

. On January 1, 1777 he was commissioned a captain in the

7th Massachusetts Regiment The 7th Massachusetts Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Continental Army. It was constituted on 16 September 1776, and was originally known as Alden's Regiment after its first colonel, Ichabod Alden. It was organized as seven companie ...

and served until his discharge on June 20, 1783. He was an original member of the Massachusetts

Shays' Rebellion

According to John Lockwood:

It was more the result of accident than any other cause that Shays had the precedence, and the fortune to make his name infamous by association with the rebellion in which he was engaged. Day was the stronger man, in mind and will, the equal of Shays in military skill, and his superior in the gift of speech.

Later years

The Society of the Cincinnati, which he had joined to solidify his legacy, dismissed him as a member on July 13, 1787, due to his involvement in Shays' Rebellion. When Luke Sr. died in 1791, Luke Jr. was not named in his will. It is not known whether this was due to his participation in the rebellion, or other factors. He was brought to court several times for unpaid

mortgage A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law (legal system), civil law jurisdictions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners t ...

debts. Luke was known to have suffered from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

in his later years, and lived out his life in relative poverty and obscurity.

Death

On June 1, 1801, shortly before his 58th birthday, Luke died at his home in West Springfield."Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795–1910," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FCMW-R4H : accessed March 7, 2014), Luke Day, June 1, 1801. Due to his infamy at the time as a leader of Shays' Rebellion, he was buried next to his mother in an unmarked grave at Paucatuck Cemetery to prevent desecration, and only received a headstone almost two centuries later, in 1987, from the Ramapogue Historical Society.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Day, Luke 1743 births 1801 deaths American rebels American revolutionaries Agrarianists American prisoners sentenced to death People convicted of treason against a state of the United States Prisoners sentenced to death by Massachusetts Continental Army officers from Massachusetts People from West Springfield, Massachusetts Recipients of gubernatorial pardons in Massachusetts