Captain Luke Day II - West Springfield, MA
Posted by: neoc1
N 42° 06.580 W 072° 40.806
18T E 691803 N 4664557
The grave of Captain Luke Day is located in Paucatuck Cemetery in West Springfield, MA.
Waymark Code: WMX57Y
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 11/29/2017
Views: 1
A grave marker for Captain Luke Day was placed and dedicated by the Ramapogue Historical Society in 1987. Because of his notorious past and fear of desecration, he was interred in an unmarked grave next to his mother. His red-brown grave marker is inscribed:
CAPTAIN LUKE DAY II
1743 - 1801
REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERAN
WEST SPRINGFIELD RESIDENT
AND A LEADER IN
SHAYS' REBELLION 1787.
DEDICATED 1987
RAMAPOGUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
2nd Lieutenant Luke Day II, was a member of Captain Enoch Chapin's company of minutemen at the start of the Revolutionary War. He answered the Lexington Alarm and marched to Boston on April 20, 1775 and remained throughout 1775 during the Siege of Boston.
On January 1, 1777 he was commissioned a captain in the 7th Massachusetts Regiment. He participated in key battles of the American Revolutionary War, including the Siege of Boston, Quebec Expedition, Battles of Saratoga, Cherry Valley massacre, Sullivan Expedition and Siege of Yorktown. He was discharged on June 20, 1783.
Following the American Revolution, Luke Day II gained great notoriety as the most zealous leader of Shays' Rebellion. In fact he was so zealous that he was passed over as the leader of the rebellion in favor of the more moderate Daniel Shays. After the failure of the rebellion Day was convicted of high treason and sentenced to death. However, he was pardoned by Governor John Hancock and returned to his home in West Springfield where he died in 1801 at age 57.
Visit Instructions:PLEASE NOTE: This category is for American Revolutionary War Veterans only. Veterans of other revolutions are not part of this category.
I have allowed one entry for a grave of British solders, but it was an exception. Please only list graves for Colonial soldiers.
Simply visit the locations. Please provide as much information as possible. Pictures would be a great addition.