USA > Vermont > Rutland County > Hubbardton > An historical address, delivered at Hubbardton, Vt., on the eighty-second anniversary of the battle of Hubbardton, July 7, 1859 > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
HISTORICAL ADDRESS DELIVERED AT HUBBARDTON, VT ON THE 82nd ANNIVERSARY BATTLE OF HUBBARDTON JULY 7, 1859 CLARK
Gc 974.302 H86c 1771765
M. L.
REVI LOS HISTORICAL LENLALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01096 3145
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/historicaladdres1859clar
AN
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
DELIVERED AT
HUBBARDTON, VT.,
ON THE 82 nd
EIGHTY-SECOND ANNIVERSARY
OF THE
Battle of Hubbardton, 1777
JULY 7, 1859.
BY HENRY CLARK.
With an Appendix Containing an Account of the Celebration.
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
PUBLISHED BY REQUEST.
RUTLAND) : STEAM PRESS OF GEORGE A. TUTTLE & CO. 1859.
-
1771765
An Historical Microsd, Salivares AN DER. Vt,, on the eighty-broomd anniversary of the battle of Fibbariton, Jily 7, 1859 Rut land, 1659,
CHILE CAND
3916
ADDRESS.
The celebration of our nation's birth has just ended, and ere the rejoicings have ceased, it is fitting we should assemble on one of its battle-fields to complete the erection of a monument in honor of those who fell, and in commemoration of the event. We are here at the invitation of patriotic and persevering citi- zens, whose generosity and efforts have raised this noble struc- ture-an honor to those who projected it, and a fitting memento of the past,
This is the eighty-second anniversary of the battle of Hub- bardton, and this occasion calls for a marked demonstration of the public interest in the event. More than three-quarters of a century has elapsed, and we gather to-day in mass, to note the results. Who of us will be permitted a similar retrospect when the century shall have ended.
While we recall with grateful interest the sufferings and sac- rifices of our fathers, and the trials they endured in our behalf, we should remember there are other monuments on which their virtues and deeds are inscribed, more enduring than sculptured marble. Look around and behold them in the pros- perity of our country to-day-in the cultivated fields-institu- tions of learning, and internal improvements. They appear on every hill-side, and in the flourishing hamlets and cities throughout the land.
We are here from different sections, most of us for the first time, and desire to testify our veneration for their names. What son of Vermont here does not feel the power of the occa- sion ? We have in our veins the blood and in our keeping the graves of these martyrs of the Revolution. Their bodies rest in this quiet vale, but the cause they espoused has spread its blessings over other fields than the field of battle. In full fru- ition of these blessings, we join you in homage to the spot, and to the memory of those who fought and fell. History has pre- pared her tablets, and written imperishable records of the event and the present reality, it is hoped, will justify a recurrence to a few events which preceded the battle of Hubbardton. We are borne back to the 7th of July, 1777. We see the people come from every direction. Old men and young hasten to the
3916
2
scene of strife, and our presence here gives it a living power.
It should be remembered the battle of Hubbardton occurred at a dark period of the Revolution. When Gen. Burgoyne commenced his campaign, Washington had been driven from New York, and the American forces from Canada.
Burgoyne arrived at Quebec on the 6th of May, and took command of the British army. On the 12th he was at Mont- real collecting and forwarding all his stores to Lake Champlain. On the 20th of June his entire army was assembled at Cum- berland head, near Plattsburgh; thence embarking he pro- ceeded up the lake, without opposition. On the 21st of June he landed his force on the west side of the lake, at the mouth of the river Boquet, near Willsborough, N. Y. At this point he was joined by three or four hundred Indians. Gen. Bur- goyne made a speech to them, in which he exhorted them to lay aside their ferocious and barbarious maner of making war, to kill only such as opposed them in arms, and spare prisoners that should fall into their hands, and gave such direc- tions to their fierceness and cruelty as should best subserve his designs against the Americans.
On the 30th of June he advanced to Ticonderoga, with a well appointed fleet and disciplined army, and encamped for the night about four miles from the American lines. The next day they took their position just within reach of the American cannon, and on the 2d of July, after a brief skirmish with a picket of sixty men, and foreing them to retire, advanced within sixty yards of the works, scattering themselves along the whole front of the American lines.
At this perilous period Gen. St. Clair, who commanded at Fort Ticonderoga, feared he should not be able properly to defend the garrison, although the place appeared strong, nev- ertheless the works were so extensive that he could not prop- erly defend them, beside he had omitted to fortify a rugged eminence, called Mount Defiance, the top of which overlooked and effectually commanded the whole works.
St. Clair being sensible he could not sustain a siege, hoped Burgoyne would make an assault, against which he was resolved to defend himself to the last. After the discovery by the Americans of the advantage the opposing forces had gained of them in the occupation of Mount Defiance, and their movements to construct a battery, a council of war was held, by which it was unanimously agreed to retreat that very night.
About two o'clock on the morning of the 6th of July, Gen. St. Clair, with the garrison, left Ticonderoga, and about three o'clock the troops on Mt. Independence were put in motion. and a part were conveyed to Skeensboro in batteaux, while the
--
3
main body of the army proceeded by land, on the old military road, which had been cut during the preceding wars from No. 4, now Charlestown, New Hampshire, to Ticonderoga. The retreat was conducted in silence, and unobserved by the enc- my, till a fire by accident was set which illuminated the whole of Mt. Independence and at once, revealed their movements, to the enemy. At about four o'clock the rear guard of the American army loft Mt. Independence, and were brought off by Col. Francis in good order. When the troops reached this place they were halted about two hours. Here the rear guard were placed under the command of Col. Seth Warner, with orders to follow as soon as those behind came up. Gen. St. Clair, with the main body, reached Castleton on the 6th of July.
The retreat from Ticonderoga was no sooner discovered by the British than a pursuit was made by Gen. Fraser, who was soon followed by Gen. Reidsel, with a greater part of the Brit- ish forces. Fraser continued the pursuit during the day, and having learned that the Americans were not far off, he ordered an encampment for the night.
Early on the morning of the 7th he renewed the pursuit and at seven o'clock the engagement commenced. Gen. Fraser made an attack upon the Americans, while they were at break- fast. The force under Warner's command consisted of the Green Mountain Boys, Col. Haile's regiment of Connecticut River Men, with a Massachusetts regiment under Col. Francis, amounting to nearly one thousand men. Those under Gen. Fraser were two thousand strong, according to the account given by Ethan Allen in his narrative. Much reliance is to be placed on Allen's statements, as he undoubtedly had it from Warner himself, as well as from the confessions made to him while a prisoner in England by officers of the British army, who were in the engagement.
Permit me, therefore, in farther illustration, to give the description of the battle in his peculiarly graphic and charac- teristic language.
He says: "The 6th day of July, 1777, Gen. St. Clair and the army under his command evacuated Ticonderoga, and returned with the main body through Hubbardton into Castle- ton, which was six miles distant, when his rear guard, com- manded by Col. Seth Warner, was attacked at Hubbardton by a body of the enemy of about two thousand strong, commanded by Gen. Fraser. Warner's command consisted of his own and two other regiments, viz : Francis and Haile, and some scat- tered and enfeebled soldiers. His whole number, according to information, was near or quite one thousand men, part of which
4
were Green Mountain Boys. About seven hundred he brought into action. The enemy advanced boldly, and the two bodies formed within about sixty yards of each other. Col. Warner having formed his own regiment and that of Col. Francis, did not wait for the enemy, but gave them a heavy fire from his whole line, and they returned it with great bravery. It was by this time dangerous for those of both parties who were not prepared for the world to come. But Col. Haile, being apprised of the danger, never brought his regiment to the charge, but left Warner and his men to stand the blowing of it and fled, but luckily fell in with an inconsiderable munber of the enemy, and to his eternal shame, surrendered himself a prisoner.
The conflict was very bloody. Col. Francis fell in the same, but Col. Warner and the officers under his command, as also the soldiery, behaved with great resolution. The enemy broke and gave way on the right and left, but formed again and renewed the attack. In the meantime the British grenadiers in the center of the enemy's line maintained the ground, and finally carried it with the point of the bayonet, and Warner retreated with reluctance. Our loss was about thirty inen killed, and that of the enemy amounting to three hundred killed, including a Major Grant.
After Warner's men had thrown them into disorder, they formed and again advanced upon the Americans, who in their turn fell back. At this critical moment Gen. Reidsell arrived with a reinforcement, and led them immediately into action, and decided the fortunes of the day."
Such, fellow citizens, were the stirring scenes which were enacted on this battle-field eighty-two years ago to-day-a strange contrast indeed to the one presented before us. Gal- lantly and bravely did they do their duty, and nobly are you doing your duty in commemorating the event.
The battle of Hubbardton, although the number engaged was comparatively small, was one of the most determined and severe on record. If it was a British victory, it was dearly purchased. But had it been an American victory, it would not have lessened the sorrow for the fall of the gallant Col. Francis. He was a noble patriot, and we should never cease to vencrate his memory, while we remember the action in which he fell and the principles for which he sacrificed his life. If we keep in remembrance, fellow citizens, the scenes of that day, we shall be able better to appreciate the price paid for the liberties we now enjoy, and fitting is it that on this anniversary day we raise yonder monument quarried in our own native hills.
It is proper on this occasion that some mention should be made of the leaders in this engagement.
5
Gen. Frazier, of the British army, was killed on the 7th of October, 1777, at the battle of Saratoga.
Colonel Haile, I fear, Allen has too severely censured, as he and many of his men were known to have been in feeble health and unfitted for military service, and his strictures, therefore, upon his conduct, should be received with great caution. We regret that imputation should ever have rested on one who is represented to have been so irreproachable in all the relations of life. Col. Haile, history authorizes us to say, claimed the right of General Washington, by Court Martial to exhonor- ate himself, but he died soon after, before it could be accon- plished, while a prisoner of war on Long Island.
Colonel Seth Warner, who was on that day the leader, was preeminently a representative man of the carly settlers of Ver- mont. Ile has been aptly represented by one* of Vermont's most gifted writers, as a man of commanding and even majes- tic appearance. He was tall and muscular, and so completely set were his limbs that his contour presented nothing to the eye in the least disproportional or ungainly. Every development, indeed whether of his shapely head or manly countenance, goes to show a strong, well-balanced character, and one capable of action, beyond the scope of ordinary men."
IIe was a fit associate for such men as Ethan Allen and his valiant band. Vermont has had no nobler defender-no tru- er friend-no greater hero-none more bold and frank in the expression of their opinions. In the town of Woodbury, Con., lie the remains of Col. Seth Warner. He was buried with all the honors of war, in a grave remote from the State he loved so well, and whose cause he so ably defended. On a white marble tomb stone may be deciphered the following inscription :
IN MEMORY OF COL. SETHI WARNER, ESQ., Who departed this life December 26, A. D. 1784, in the 42d yeur of his age.
"Triumphant leader at our army's head Whose martial glory struck a panie dread; Thy warlike deeds engraven on this stone, Tell future ages -- what a hero's done; Full sixteen battles he did fight, For to procure his country's right; Oh! this brave hero, he did fall By death, who ever conquers all. When this you see Remember me."
Our fathers fought for a purpose-fought for the rights which God and nature gave them-fought for that principle
*Ilon. D. P. Thompson.
6
which led them to leave their homes and seek an asyhuum in the Western wilds. They Hled from oppression and came to a land where no royal foot had ever trod.
Time has erased the stains of battle-crumbled the bones and scattered the dust of the heroes who fought on this field ; yet their memory is as green as ever in the hearts of the liv- ing. It was theirs to toil-to bleed and to die that we might be free. It is ours to preserve the rich possessions their sacri- fices secured. What American can contemplate his ancestry and not feel ennobled ? There is nothing that so fills the American with noble thoughts than the recital of the deeds of his fathers. And when we dwell upon the noble deeds of our sires, and claim as kindred Washington and Warren, Allen and Warner, Stark and Lee, and all the Revolutionary heroes, who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor for the sake of their country, how can we ever forget our duties as American citizens ?
Fellow citizens, let us promote National unity, not only by fitting commemorative festivals, but by the crection of such monuments as shall keep visibly before us the deeds and vir- tues of our fathers. I know there are those who can see in the erection of monuments nothing but a useless expenditure. But they know not the power that is in them to impress the memory and stir the heart. Who is there that can enter with indifference the burial place where are the tombs of his ances- tors ? To such an one indeed ancestral memories are power- less. But to him whose nature is susceptible of nobler impul- ses, these memories will even possess a charm and a power that nothing can din or destroy. The monumental marble is not cold lifeless stone ; it hath lips and speaks in language which though silent, often stirs the heart more deeply than the trumpet blast. Then let these monuments rise and become the expressive chroniclers of our history. Lay their foundations deep in the earth, and let them rise heavenward from the hill- top and the mountain summit, and as years pass away and the moss grows o'er them and their inscriptions begin to fade away, they will stand gray witnesses of the past, and from them will go forth an influence to animate remote generations to like deeds of heroism, and to purify and ennoble the national heart.
APPENDIX.
It has been thought proper to add to the foregoing address the sev- eral accounts of the celebration, as published in the public prints of the State. The account given in the Northern Visitor, published at Bran- don, was prepared by a special reporter for that paper. The account given in the Vermont Watchman is in substance the address delivered by the IIon. E. P. Walton, on the occasion.
From the Northern Visitor, published at Brandon.
HUBBARDTON BATTLE-MONUMENT CELEBRATION.
MR. EDITOR :- I promised you a few items from the Hubbardton Battle-Monument Celebration, which came off according to previous announcement, on the 7th inst. The sun rose clear and bright on that morning, and was scarcety above the horizon, before all the roads, for a distance of twenty miles, leading to Hubbardton, were thronged with vehicles of all sorts, crowded with Green Mountain Boys and girls of all ages, wending their way to the battle ground, which is situated in East Hubbardton, about ten miles from Brandon. Could you have stood on the top of the liberty pole on the battle ground, and looked the country over, you might have thought it was being depopulated, as everybody, seemingly actuated by one impulse, was crowding towards that spot.
The procession formed at the Baptist Church, at 11 o'clock a. m., nn- der the marshalship of Col. Parker, of Castleton, and preceded by the Rutland Band marched to the battle ground, where a speaker's stand had been erected, and several board seats prepared in front of the stand. The Exercises commenced by reading the Seripfures, by Rev. Dr. Thomas of Brandon, after which prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. Child of Castleton. At this point the Allen Greys arrived, and accompanied by the Brandon Band, and Col. Bush and Staff of the First Regiment. After Capt. Cook had put them through a course of military manœvres in front of the stand, the President of the day, James W. Barber, Esq., introduced Henry Clark, Esq., of' Poultney, who read a well digested historical sketch of the events immediately preceding and succeeding the battle, showing clearly its relation to the other scenes of the great revolutionary drama. IIon. D. E. Nicholson of Wallingford, was next introduced, who delivered a characteristic address of half an hour's length, which brought down the house (or would if there had been any house to come down in) repeatedly, by its happy hits. The President then announced an adjournment for dinner, and all who were fortu- tunate enough to find anything to eat, proceeded to eat it. Not expect- ing a tenth part of the crowd, the gentleman who was to " victual and drink " them was soon compelled to capitulate and surrender at discre- tion. The inhabitants of that part of the town opened their doors gon- erously, and showered their hospitalities freely, but of course, could do little towards supplying such a hungry throng.
IIon. E. P. Waiton of Montpelier, the orator of the occasion, was the first speaker of the afternoon, and his address was like all his efforts, brim
-
0
full of goed things. He had hunted up in the State archives all the documents relating to the Hubbardton battle, and gave ns some valuable history. I was unable to hear him as distinctly as I could have wished, owing to the " noise and confusion " occasioned by the " sham fight "- which interrupted his speech-between Col. Bush, with a small detach- ment of the " Greys," representing the British, and Capt. Cook, with the rest of the " Greys" representing the Americans. This was one of the most interesting incidents of the day, although Mr. Walton's speech was interrupted for half an hour. The British were forced to retire until reinforced by a company of Indians, commanded by the artist, Hope, of Castleton, when they ralled and drove the Americans back as far as the speaker's stand. The smoke of battle and rattle of musketry was really quite exciting, and involuntarily led one to inquire what the realities of grim war must be if its mimiery is so stirring. It is understood that prodiges of honor were performed-though I have seen no official bulle- tin from Col. Bush or Capt. Cook. Major Hayward, of the staff, was the only one who was placed hors du combat, as far as I could learn, and his injuries were not severe, I believe. After the fight was over Mr. Walton concluded his speech amid great applause. The following sen- timents were then read by Mr. Clark, and several short speeches were made, in response to calls from the crowd, by Col. Allen, of Fairhaven, C. E. Graves, Mr. Manly and B. F. Bingham, of Rutland, B. F. Wins- low, of Pittsford, and your reporter.
REGULAR SENTIMENTS PRESENTED BY HENRY CLARK.
1. The day we celebrate-glorious in the past, honored at the present
2. The memory of Col. Francis and those who fell with him, on the day we are now assembled to commemorate.
3. Hon. E. P. Walton-honorably known for the interest he has taken in our Revolutionary history. We hail his presence here as a testimony of his appreciation of the part taken by the heroes of Hub- bardton in that great struggle for Constitutional Freedom.
4. The Independent Militia of Vermont --- it is the glory of a free coun- try that its volunteers are all regulars and its regulars all volunteers.
5. Fathers of the Revolution .- They dedicated America to Liberty and gave their country to mankind.
6. The Chaplain of the day .- The voice of prayer was raised by our fathers in the hour of peril, let it never be silent in this period of our country's prosperity and greatness.
VOLUNTEERS-
By Capt. Justin Jennings-Hon. Amos Churchill-His liberality, patriotism, and perseverance in the cause of the Hubbardton Battle- Monument, has gained for him an immortal glory, which will be long remembered by all true-hearted Americans.
By Capt. Justin Jennings-E. J. Mansley, the master builder- Strength to his arm, correctness to his eye, and wisdom to his under- standing.
By E. J. Manley, Esq. of West Rutland-The People of Hubbardton -May their patriotism and benevolence continue as lofty as their homes.
By M. M. Dikeman-Our Military-May they prove themselves wor- thy to be called descendents of that little band of Green Mountain Boys who took old " Ti." in the name of the "Great Jehovah and the Continen- tal Congress."
9
By a Lady-The Spirit of'76-the only spirit that may safely be imbibed to excess.
The day, as you well remember, was intensely hot, and there was not an approximation to a shade within a stone's throw of the speaker's stand.
The Rutland Band appeared for the first time-except at a couple of concerts which they have given-and made a splendid appearance in their new and tasteful uniform, and they, with the Brandon Band, dis- coursed excellent music from the stand, at intervals between the differ- ent speeches. Col. Bush and staff' in their new uniform were "the observed of all observers," and the military evolutions, which were per- formed under his and Capt. Cook's directions, were the subject of unqualified admiration.
The Monument, which received the finishing touches in presence of the multitude, is a plain, neat shaft, rising to an elevation of twenty-one feet from the ground. It was quarried in Rutland, and cost about five hundred dollars.
Father Churchill, a veteran of some ninety years, who gave one hun- dred dollars toward it, was on the stand, and made some remarks, which could be heard but a little distance. The rest of the amount was con- tributed mainly by citizens of Hubbardton. It marks the spot where Francis is said to have fallen. The inscription is as follows: on the east side, "Hubbardton Battle fought on this ground July 7th, 1777."- On the north side, "Col. Warner commanded ; Col. Francis killed ; Col. Ilale was captured ; the Green Mountain Boys fought bravely." On the west side, "The only battle fought in Vermont during the Revolu- tion." On the south side, "This Monument erected by citizens of Hub- bardton and vicinity."
I heard the crowd variously estimated from five to eight thousand, and I will say for them that I never saw so large a crowd so well behaved. There was no police, only one marshal, (whose duties seemed to be fin- ished when the procession reached the ground,) yet there was no row- dyism, not a solitary individual drunk, so far as I saw or heard ; but their deportment was worthy of the descendants of the three hundred and forty heroes who fell in this hotly contested engagement, who had come, after the lapse of so many years, to show that the dust which has slumbered unnoticed so long in this beautiful spot is not forgotten, but that a grateful posterity knows how to honor the memory of its heroic ancestors.
Truly yours, REPORTER.
From the Vermont Watchman, Montpelier, Vt. THE BATTLE OF HUBBARDTON, JULY 7th, 1777.
The eight-secoud anniversary of the Battle of Hubbardton was fitly observed, on Thursday, the 7th inst., by completing with interesting cer- emonies, a handsome marble monument, "commemorative of our patriot soldiers," who were in the battle, which has been erected on the battle ground by the Hubbardton Battle Monument Association. The assen- bly was large, numbering, we judge, nearly five thousand people, gath- ered mainly from the counties of Rutland and Addison ; and all the ser- vices were appropriate to the occasion. The officers of the Association, with the gentlemen who were to take part in the public exercises, were escorted to the battle ground by the Allen Greys of Brandon, under the direction of Col. Parker as Marshal, where the order of exercises, inter- mingled with music from the Rutland Brass Band, and the Brandon Band, took place.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.