History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 6

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 1170

USA > Vermont > Rutland County > History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 6

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 (link on the Part 1 page).

These incidents serve to illustrate the measures of the Green Mountain Boys during those troubled times, as well as the spirit of the people and the temper of the period of the long and bitter controversy. Many manifestoes, appeals and other documents were issued and negotiations attempted, and vio- lent measures adopted against the New York claimants, until they, in general, became unwilling to further incur the displeasure of the Vermonters.

One notable instance, which occurred in Rutland county, will serve to illus- trate the punishments inflicted at times on the interlopers and sympathizers with the hated authority. Benjamin Hough not only occupied land in Claren- don under a New York patent, but during his residence, from 1773, had been an odious advocate of that title, although he claimed to have agreed for that of New Hampshire. In 1774, after a visit to New York, he returned with a commission as justice of the peace, and was loud in his denunciations of rioters and active in the exercise of his office as a magistrate. He was warned verb-

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

ally and in writing to desist from the further exercise of his official authority, and threatened with punishment if he persisted. He set these warnings at de- fiance and the indignation against him became very great, and it was deter- mined to make an example of him such as would silence him and deter others from a similar course. He was accordingly seized by a party of his neighbors in Clarendon, placed in a sleigh and taken thirty miles to Sunderland, where he was kept for three days under strict guard, until Monday, the 30th day of January, 1775, when he was tried. He was found guilty and sentenced "to be tied to a tree and receive two hundred lashes on the naked back, and then, as soon as he should be able, should depart the New Hampshire Grants and not return again until his majesty's pleasure should be known in the premises, on pain of receiving five hundred lashes." This sentence was read to him by Ethan Allen and immediately put into execution. He was then given a pass couched in the following terms : "This may certify to the inhabitants of the New Hampshire Grants that Benjamin Hough hath this day received a full punishment for his crimes committed heretofore against this country, and our inhabitants are ordered to give the said Hough free and unmolested passport toward the city of New York, or to the westward of our grants, he behaving as becometh."

This chastisement of Hough seems to have been the last act of personal violence to which the claimants under New York, as such, were subjected by the Green Mountain Boys in this county during the colonial period, and open resistance ceased from that time.

Another prominent feature of the controversy was the issuing of proclama- tions by the New York authorities, which only served to increase the antipathy of the settlers. The proclamation for the arrest of Allen and his associates was treated by them with defiant contempt, and in return they issued and exten- sively circulated in this county a burlesque proclamation over their own sig- natures, of which the following is the text :-

" 25 Pounds Reward.

" Whereas, James Duane and John Kempe, of New York, have by their menaces and threats, greatly disturbed the public peace and repose of the hon- est peasants of Bennington, and the settlements to the northward, which peas- ants are now and ever have been in the peace of God and the king and are patriotic and liege subjects of George III, any person will apprehend those common disturbers, viz., James Duane and John Kempe, and bring them to Landlord Fay's at Bennington, shall receive £15 reward for James Duane and £ 10 for John Kempe, Paid by

" ETHAN ALLEN,

" REMEMBER BAKER,

" ROBERT COCKRAN.

" Dated Poultney, Feb'y 5, 1772."

THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA.

Many of the most stirring events of this bitter controversy occurred in this county, the records of which have passed into general history, and aroused the people of the New Hampshire Grants to put forth their highest efforts for the protection of their homes and their rights. The intellectual, as well as the physical, nature and strength of the leaders was developed. In perusing the records of those transactions the living expression of the times is caught. The actors therein were men of courage and intellect ; they were a plain, industri- ous, hardy race of men, who emigrated hither to cultivate the soil and secure a competency for themselves and their children. They cared not under what government they came, if permitted to enjoy unmolested the hard-earned fruits of their industry.

The opening of the Revolutionary War found the inhabitants of this section thus engaged in the controversy for the title to their lands and the government which they chose, and it is difficult to conceive what would have been the issue of the controversy had not its progress been arrested by the great struggle for freedom, which dwarfed all minor troubles. The inhabitants hereabouts soon began to feel their importance in the oncoming contest; and their own imme- diate safety, as well as a strong sympathy with the general hostility to the mother country, led them to take an early and prominent part in the com- mon cause.

CHAPTER V.

THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA.

Inherent Patriotism of the People - Prepared for the First Call -Capture of Ticonderoga - Dif- ferent Sentiments Existing Among and Actuating the Inhabitants - Effect of the Approach of Bur- goyne's Army - Mercilessness Shown to Tories - Results in Vermont of Burgoyne's Surrender - Faithfulness of Vermonters to the Cause of Patriotism.

T THE opening of the Revolutionary War found the people of Rutland county substantially independent, obeying only the orders and decrees of com- mittees, conventions and town meetings. The inhabitants of this region took an active and patriotic part in the war. The leaders had been well prepared to enter with enthusiasm and vigor into the contest for American liberty, by sharing in the general hostility to the arbitrary measures of the British crown and ministry, and by sympathy with their friends in Massachusetts and Con- necticut, whence they had emigrated.

The people were well aware of the great importance of the posts on their frontier in the approaching conflict. When, therefore, a few days after the

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

battle of Lexington, messengers arrived from Connecticut for the purpose of collecting forces to make an attack on Ticonderoga, they found a body of men with their spirits and minds already prepared for the expedition. The old military corps which had done effective service in guarding the territory from the intrusions of the emissaries of the New York government was speedily mustered and on the march. The immediate result of this expedition was the well-known surrender of the fortress, the importance of which at that critical time can scarcely be over-estimated ; its details and an account of the battle of Hubbardton are given a little farther on.

The prescribed limits of this work will not admit of an extended account of the part taken by the people of this county, as individuals, in the great strug- gle that gave the country its liberty. Their deeds, and those of their com- patriots, are written in ever-living lines on the pages of general history. Some of the more prominent features of the contest, bearing a local character, may, however, be alluded to.

There were, perhaps, at the opening of the Revolution, one-half of the people to whom the coming contest was grateful. There were those, too, who in the troublous times had neglected their own private affairs and were now in embarrassed circumstances. Habits in a measure forced upon them, had unfitted some for a quiet occupation. These were, of course, ready for any change by which something might possibly "turn up." There were a few who took a comprehensive view of the whole subject and, from truly pa- triotic motives, were ready to risk everything for the great principles of polit- ical freedom. Unfortunately these were not generally men of influence and property. But when a British army of more than seven thousand men came marching from the North, the leading men of the county were filled with in- dignation, to say nothing of other feelings that animated them. The progress of that army was slow, but so much the better calculated to spread alarm. Tories began to declare themselves in proportion to the nearness of its ap- proach. Names of men suspected or known as Tories, who lived in all parts of this region, were spoken, the Council of Safety met often and the several towns in this county received especial attention, as well as those surrounding.

As Burgoyne's army approached, the excitement increased. Companies of men on both sides were scouring the country in search of recruits and pro- visions. The houses and fields of suspected Tories were mercilessly plun- dered. Clothing and other necessary articles of furniture were carried off. Every contrivance was resorted to for concealment. Cattle were driven to the mountains. The family supplies of beef and pork were buried in the earth. Even the less perishable articles of furniture were disposed of in the same manner. It was a period of great anxiety and alarm. The settlers along Lake Champlain and as far south as Manchester, had either submitted to Bur- goyne and taken his protection, or were abandoning their positions and re-

THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA.

moving to the southward. When it became known that an army of Hessians and Indians were approaching, the people flocked towards Bennington, taking with them such of their most valuable property as could be hastily collected and transported. The more timid and prudent passed on beyond, while others made such preparations as they could for a sudden removal and waited further developments. Any attempt to describe the painful anxiety that prevailed during that period as to the result of the near contest would be vain. That, as well as the rush of overwhelming joy and exultation which followed the vic. tory, can only be imagined. The victory was a proud one for the people of the country, and an ominous presage of the later overthrow of Burgoyne.

Although the capture of Burgoyne and his army in the fall of 1777 was a most fortunate event in the Revolutionary struggle, it left Lake Champlain and the strong fortresses of Ticonderoga and Crown Point in the possession of the enemy, and Vermont, during the remaining five years of the war, constantly exposed to their incursions. The occupation of those forts by a strong Brit- ish force also gave countenance and encouragement to the loyalists in northern New York and Vermont and kept the inhabitants of Rutland county in a state of almost continual apprehension and alarm.

During the remaining period of the war the State was under the necessity of maintaining a permanent guard on the borders of her territory, to which the people of Rutland county contributed their full proportion of men and means. They were also subject to orders to march in a body to the frontier on many occasions of apprehended or actual invasion by the enemy. Vermont at that period was weak in numbers, but she was strong in the justice of her cause, in nerve and in patriotism. From the morning of May 10th, 1775, when the dawn found Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga, until the evening of the last day of the Revolution, the men of Rutland county were found, whenever and where ever the enemy appeared, foremost in attack and last in retreat. In 1775 a regiment was sent to Canada ; its brilliant exploits at Longuiel form a page of heroic history. In 1776, when the Continental army was formed under Colo- nel Warner, they served with honor throughout the war. The men of the county were in constant service, and when their own territory was invaded, the whole population was under arms. Ticonderoga, Longuiel, Hubbardton, Bennington and Saratoga, bear testimony of the patriotism and valor of the people of Rutland county.

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

CHAPTER VI.

THE BATTLE OF HUBBARDTON.

Effect, of the Battle - Condition of the l'eople Immediately Preceding the Affair - Colonel War- ner's Appeal to the Vermont Convention -General St. Clair's Appreciation - Effects of the Aban- lonment of Ticonderoga - The Retreat - The Attack - Allen's Detailed Description of the Battle - Incidents.

T HE events at Hubbardton in July, and Bennington in August, 1777, caused the flood tide of invasion from the North to ebb. They led immediately to the important results at Saratoga in October ; also the appreciation by the courts of Europe of the powers of the American soldiery and the ability of the colonists to maintain the cause of independence. It led to an open treaty of alliance between the United States and France just seven months after the bat- tle of Hubbardton. It was the prophecy of the surrender of Yorktown.

A brief statement of the condition of the people just preceding this engage- ment will be of interest as preliminary to an account of the battle. The peo- ple of Western Vermont were in much alarm from the apprehension of an in- vasion by the British army from Canada, under General Burgoyne, for which preparations had been made under the direction of the English ministry. An army of ten thousand veterans, one-half of them German hirelings, equipped and furnished with every warlike material that wealth and skill could supply, had been collected in that province and attended by a formidable body of sav- ages, and a corps of Tories, was approaching the American post at Ticonder- oga. Its commanding general confidently expected, after an easy conquest of that post, to march triumphantly through the country to the seaboard, crushing all opposition to British rule. General St. Clair, who commanded at Ticonderoga, had sent Colonel Seth Warner to gather reinforcements from the militia; Colonel Moses Robinson's regiment was already at Hubbardton, and others were on their way.

On the second of July Colonel Warner wrote the State Convention, then in session at Windsor, that he had just received an express from General St. Clair, who expected an attack at any hour and who had ordered him to call out the militia of this State, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and join him as soon as possible. This letter also asked all the men that could possibly be enlisted, saying that the safety of the post depended on the exertions of the country ; that their lines were extensive and but partially manned for want of men. Warner, in the same communication, makes this graphic appeal : "I should be glad if a few hills of corn unlioed should not be a motive sufficient to detain men at home, considering that the loss of such an important post can hardly be remedied." On the receipt of this letter by the convention, a

THE BATTLE OF HUBBARDTON.

communication was sent to the General Assembly of New Hampshire, then in session at Exeter, enclosing Warner's appeal for help, and adding that the mi- litia from this State were principally with the officer commanding the Conti- nental army at Ticonderoga, the remainder on their march for the relief of that distressed post, and requesting further aid from that State. Colonel Joseph Bowker, of Rutland, president of the convention, immediately wrote General St. Clair, giving information of what had been done and the exertions being made to aid him.

The efforts of the Vermont Convention for the relief of Ticonderga were duly appreciated by General St. Clair. He wrote a letter from Colonel Mead's in Rutland, dated July 7, giving a brief explanation of the necessity he was under to evacuate the post at Ticonderoga, in which he remarks: "The exer- tions of the convention to re-enforce us at Ticonderoga merit my warmest thanks, though they have been too late to answer the good purpose for which they were intended." In another letter General St. Clair says : " I have just now received a letter from General Schuyler, directing that Colonel War- ner's regiment, of your State, should be left for the protection of the people." He gave information to the Vermont Convention that he was proceeding to join General Schuyler as fast as possible, and hoped that there would be suffi- cient force called to check the force of the enemy, and added that "your con- ventions have given such proofs of their readiness to concur in any measure for the public safety, that it would be impertinent to press them now."

By the retreat of the American army from Ticonderoga, the whole west- ern frontier of the State north of Massachusetts, comprising more than half of the inhabitants residing west of the Green Mountains, was left wholly unpro- tected and exposed to the immediate ravages of the enemy. General Bur- goyne had issued a boastful proclamation threatening ruin and destruction to all who should oppose him, but offering protection and security to those who should remain peaceably at their homes, and payment in gold for any provi- sions they might furnish. Many who were not his well-wishers, in the dis- tressed and apparently desperate condition in which they suddenly found themselves, felt it necessary to accept his written proclamation, while others, more patriotic or in a better situation to remove, fled to the southward with such of their effects as they were able to take with them. Some of these fu- gitives stopped with their friends in the south part of the State, while others passed further on. No part of the territory could be considered safe against any rapid incursion of the enemy, especially as a considerable number in their midst were believed to be friendly to the invaders, and alarm and confusion everywhere prevailed.

By the 5th of July Colonel Seth Warner had reached Ticonderoga with nine hundred militia, mostly from Vermont, but the fort even after this re-en- forcement was altogether untenable against the well-appointed army of Bur-

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

goyne. On the evening of that day a council of war dictated that the fort should be abandoned before daylight the next morning, which was done. All the cannon and most of the provisions and military stores fell into the hands of the enemy, and the army retreated rapidly toward Castleton.

The retreat began about two o'clock in the morning of the 6th, when St. Clair and the garrison left the fort, and about three o'clock the troops on Mount Independence were put in motion and a part were conveyed to Skenes- boro (now Whitehall) in bateaux, while the main body of the army proceeded by land on the old military road, which had been cut during the preceding war from Number Four, now Charlestown, N. H., to Ticonderoga. The retreat was conducted in silence, unobserved by the enemy, until a fire by acci- dent was set which illuminated the whole of Mount Independence, and at once revealed their movements to the enemy. At about four o'clock the rear guard of the American army left Mount Independence and were brought off by Col- onel Francis in good order. When the troops reached this place they were halted about two hours. Here the rear guard was placed under the command of Colonel Seth Warner, with orders to follow as soon as those behind came up. General 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 General Fraser, who was soon followed by General Reidsel with a greater part of the British forces. Fraser continued the pur- suit 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. General Fraser made an attack upon the Americans while they were at break- fast. The force under Warner's command consisted of Green Mountain Boys, Colonel Haile's regiment of Connecticut River mer., with a Massachusetts reg- ment under Colonel Francis, amounting to nearly 1,000 men. Those under General Fraser were 2,000 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 confes- sions made to him while a prisoner in England by officers of the English army.

The following description of the battle is in Allen's peculiarly graphic and descriptive language.

Hle says : " The 6th day of July, 1777, General St. Clair and the army un- der his command evacuated Ticonderoga and returned with the main body to Hubbardton into Castleton, which was six miles distant, when his rear guard, commanded by Colonel Seth Warner, was attacked at Hubbardton by a body of the enemy about 2,000 strong, commanded by General Fraser. Warner's command consisted of his own and two other regiments, viz., Francis and

THE BATTLE OF HUBBARDTON.

Haile, and some scattered and enfeebled soldiers. His whole number, accord- ing to information, was near or quite 1,000 men, part of which were Green Mountain Boys. About 700 were brought into action. The enemy advanced boldly and the two bodies formed within about sixty yards of each other. Colonel Warner, having formed his own regiment and that of Colonel 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 Colonel Haile, being apprized 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 number of the enemy, and to his eternal shame, sur- rendered himself a prisoner. An English account gives their loss in killed and wounded at 183 including among the former twenty officers. The Amer- ican loss is estimated at about 324 killed, wounded and prisoners.

The conflict was very bloody. Colonel Francis fell in the battle, but Col- onel 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 mean time the British gren- adiers in the center of the enemy's line maintained the ground, and finally car- ried it with the point of the bayonet, and Warner retreated with reluctance. Our loss was about thirty men 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 General Reidsel arrived with a reinforcement, and led them immedi- ately into action, and decided the fortunes of the day.

The battle of Hubbardton, although the number engaged was compara- tively 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 vic- tory it would not have lessened the sorrow for the fall of the gallant Colonel Francis.

The general account of this engagement has passed into the history of the county and more of the details and documentary evidence need not be given. A few personal incidents, however, will be of interest to illustrate the charac- ter and sufferings of the people of this section in the few days of terror before and after the battle.

About half a mile east of Castleton village on the northwest corner of the east and west road and the Hubbardton road, stood the house of George Foote, where religious worship was held on the Sabbath. Upon the corner opposite was a school-house. A mile and a half north of this, on the Hubbardton road, lived Captain John Hall. Still further north, on what is known as the Ransom farm, was a building appropriated to recruits. On the Sabbath, July 6, while the

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

people were gathered for religious worship, the alarm is given that the enemy is approaching. At the same time the recruits come flying down the road and take shelter in the school-house and in the house of Mr. Foote. Women and children take shelter in the cellar. There is brisk firing from both sides for a considerable time, but the casualties are few, the one party covered by the trees of the forest. There is a closer conflict. Captain Williams, a volunteer from Guilford, Vt., is wounded in the groin, but will not yield ; and in a hand to hand fight, deals a heavy blow upon a British lieutenant. He is then bay- oneted through the body, and expires in a few moments. Captain John Hall receives a shot in the leg, and as he lies profusely bleeding calls for water. As his wife is bringing it to him, a Tory named Jones kicks the dish from her hands. Captain Hall died of his wounds not long after. One of the British infantry was mortally wounded and another shot through the body ; but re- covered through the kind attention of Mrs. Hall-rendering good for evil. One of Captain Williams's sons was wounded in the heel in the early part of the engagement and fled to the woods. He finally reached Rutland in a famish- ing condition. Two sons of Captain Hall, Elias and Alpheus, George Foot and others, were taken prisoners and carried to Ticonderoga, but made their escape after a few weeks. The body of Captain Williams, wrapped in a blanket, without a coffin, was rudely buried at the foot of a tree near by. Forty-four years after his remains were disinterred and the bones carefully gathered and laid together in exact order by Luther Deming-a man perfectly blind-and reburied in the village graveyard with appropriate ceremonies. Captain Wil- liams had been at Ticonderoga during the French War, and was anxious to go there again.

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.

History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 6

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co. Number of Pages: 1170

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 1170