Edmund Rice - The Early Years
Edmund Rice: The Early Years
Edmund Rice was born on December 2, 1842 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Eliza (Damon) Rice and Moses Maynard Rice. At the time of his birth his family had lived in the Bay State for over two hundred years, since Colonial times when his name sake, Deacon Edmund Rice the Pilgrim came over from Sudbury, England in 1638.
Many of young Edmund's forefathers fought in the French & Indian Wars and the American Revolution. His grandfather, Ensign Edmund Rice was a veteran of the War of 1812. His father, Moses M. Rice was a prosperous businessman who was a pioneer in the early horse railroads as well as steam. He was also involved in real estate, mercantile endeavors and helped develop the Cambridge Gasworks and Cambridge Waterworks.
Edmund grew up on Brattle Street in Cambridge, not far from the present day campus of Cambridge University. He was the fourth born of seven children of this well to do family and was educated at the local schools. In 1856 he entered Norwich University in Vermont, where he became a cadet at the nation's second oldest Military Academy. He remained nearly three years when he yearned for adventure and had his father arrange for him to become a captain's apprentice on the clipper ship, Snow Squall.
The Snow Squall set sail from Long Wharf, Boston in September of 1858 for Shanghai, China. His first experience in action was in driving off pirates who attacked the ship while it was becalmed in the China Sea. Since he was educated in military and artillery matters at Norwich University, he was given charge of one of the small bore swivel cannons which were mounted on the ship. He was just 16 years of age when he loaded the cannon with lead pipe and nails and repulsed the attack of the Asian pirates. Edmund kept a detailed diary of his adventures on the Snow Squall which was entrusted to me by his great grandson several years ago. It tells a terrific story of being in savage storms where the masts snapped off the ship and becoming lost at sea. There was a near mutiny and the second mate, carpenter, steward and cook all died mysteriously. Edmund and the surviving crew returned to Boston nearly a year later in the late summer of 1859.
It is unclear if Edmund returned to Norwich University at this time or became involved with working as a surveyor for his father's railroad endeavors. In February of 1861 his father, Moses Rice died of heart failure at the age of 50. He would never know of the glory and honor his son would experience in the next four bloody years of American history.
Norwich University later conferred upon Edmund Rice the degrees of B.S. in 1874, as for 1860, and M.A. in 1898 in recognition of his work as a soldier.
