USA > Vermont > Caledonia County > Ryegate > History of Ryegate, Vermont, from its settlement by the Scotch-American company of farmers to present time; > Part 10
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Dear Sir, yours most sincerely, MOSES HAZEN. *
It certainly appears by these letters, that an expedition was seriously considered at headquarters, for which preparations were about to begin,
* These letters were procured for the editor by the late Hon. Benjamin Hale of Newburyport.
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HISTORY OF RYEGATE, VERMONT.
and this invasion was to be made by way of the Connecticut valley and the Hazen Road.
Some allusions in these letters need explanation, in regard to securing the grain, etc .: By 1780 the Coos Country had become so productive as to export great quantities of wheat and other grain. In case of an invasion of Canada by an army, passing through the valley, all the grain, which could be gathered, would be needed for its support, and active measures were taken in the river towns to prevent its being carried away. At a town meeting duly warned in Newbury, Feb. 4, 1780, "To see what measures should be taken to prevent the grain being sent out of the place," a committee was chosen to act with a committee of Haverhill, to take "effectual measures" to that end. The Haverhill records show corresponding action.
But whatever may have been contemplated, the march of events was not in the direction of the Canadian frontier. In September the treason of Arnold came to light, and the future events of the war were in the south.
Another sentence in the second letter, in which Hazen suggests plant- ing and sowing around the blockhouses, relates to a claim which these men intended to make to some of the ungranted lands in the north part . of the state. Peacham was chartered in 1763, but Walden, Cabot, Hard- wick, Greensboro and the other towns along the road were not granted till after the war. Col. Moses Little was a large land holder, and por- tions of his lands in Newbury are still owned by his descendants in that town. A space around each blockhouse was cleared of trees and by rais- ing a crop, however small, a claim might be set up to a section of land.|
It is not quite true, as has been sometimes stated, that the Hazen Road was never of any use from a military point of view. It had a strategetic value during the last years of the war, as it lay, an open route for the American forces, which could be utilized to strike a blow upon the enemy in Canada. It gave also to the ranger service along the frontier, a direct route to the danger points in the wilderness upon which a constant watch was kept during the war. The safety of New England demanded the protection of its northern frontier, and a system of patrols kept the authorities informed of the enemy's movements. Companies of soldiers were stationed in the Coos Country and along the Hazen road to guard the frontier, and these measures were fairly successful.
But in spite of all precautions, from the beginning of the war to its close, the Coös country, and the Ryegate settlers as well, were kept in constant alarm, and with good reason. In 1780, houses were burned in Peacham along the Hazen Road, and their occupants carried to Canada. In August a party of Indians came into Barnard, and carried off three men. In October, Capt. Nehemialı Lovewell of Newbury, who was sta-
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tioned with part of his company at Peacham to guard the Hazen Road, was with a small scout near the Lamoille River, when they discovered a force of three hundred British and Indians making their way sonth through the woods. He sent men to warn the country, all the militia north of Charlestown turned out, and the invaders, who had intended to destroy Newbury, turned aside and burned Royalton. This was called the "Great Alarm."
In March, 1781, Col. Thomas Johnson of Newbury, who had con- tracted with James Bailey of Peacham, to build a grist mill in that place, went there with Josiah and Jacob Page, and two ox teams with the mill stones. They stayed over night with John Orr in Ryegate, and the next night put up with Dea. Jonathan Elkins in Peacham, where Ellery Mc- Laughlin now lives. In the night the house was surrounded by, British and tories. Johnson, Jacob Page and Jonathan Elkins Jr., were taken prisoners, and carried to Canada. The capture of such a prominent man as Col. Johnson indicated the ever-present danger of the inhabitants, and it had a great influence upon local history till the end of the war, and long after.
Several attempts were made to capture General Jacob Bayley of Newbury. On the 15th of June, 1782, a force of eighteen men surprised his house, but he had been warned, and escaped to Haverhill. One man, Ezra Gates, was wounded in the affray. We mention these events to show the dangerous position in which Ryegate people found themselves placed.
The Hazen Road was an important factor in the settlement of the north part of the state, as it was the first road, and for many years the only one, in what are now Lamoille and Orleans counties. The first clearings were made along its course, and from it as a trunk line roads extended east and west. Settlers found by it a ready ingress to their new homes, and by its use, the settlement of that part of the state was hastened by several years. Among the first to seek homes there, were some of the men who had been employed upon it, and had learned the value of the land. The block-houses which had been erected for defense and protection in war, were turned to useful purposes in days of peace. In the block-house in Walden was held the first preaching service and the first school; it was temporarily occupied by several families, and in it was born the first white child in that town.
It became the first stage road between Boston and Montreal, and for nearly its entire length it is still in constant use, and one of the land- marks of the state. It was built by the sacrifices of patriots who gave their property and pledged their credit to build this road for the defense of the country.
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On the 21st of August, 1903, a granite tablet, suitably inscribed, was erected to mark the terminus of the road at Hazen's Notch, in Westfield, and a large audience listened to a carefully prepared address by Hon. F. W. Baldwin, who has kindly allowed its use in preparing this chapter. This monument, erected under the auspices of the Orleans County His- torical Society, should be followed by the placing of others marking the entire course of this historic road, the location of its block-houses, and other sites.
The survey and outline maps of the towns north of Barnet, preserved in the office of the Secretary of State, at Montpelier, give the correct location of the Hazen Road.
CHAPTER X.
RYEGATE IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
PATRIOTISM OF THE COLONISTS .- MINUTE-MEN .- THE GREAT ALARM .- THE CAM- PAIGN OF BURGOYNE .- HIS INSTRUCTION TO COL. BAUME -CAPT. FRYE BAY- LEY'S COMPANY .- ADVENTURE OF BARTHOLOMEW SOMERS .- BLOCKHOUSE .- ANECDOTES.
I N the last chapter we spoke of certain events of the revolutionary war which affected Ryegate to some extent, and in the present one we will consider the part which the inhabitants themselves, or some of them, took in the great struggle.
Some surprise has been expressed that the colonists of Ryegate and Barnet, only lately from Great Britain, should at once have adopted the views of the American patriots, when we might expect them to have adhered to the British cause. But the Whitelaw correspondence shows that the colonists were from that large class of thoughtful men in Scot- land, whose experience of class rule, and whose sober judgment led them to view with apprehension the encroachments of the crown and to sym- pathize with the rebels in America. This class of citizens, which was much larger than we generally suppose, was influential enough in the beginning of the struggle to offer considerable opposition to the meas- ures of Government. This party steadily increased in numbers and influ- ence as the war went on, until its representation in parliament became numerous enough to refuse further supplies for carrying on the war.
Dr. Witherspoon, himself one of the leaders in the patriot cause and interested in the welfare of the Ryegate settlers, set before them, not alone by letters, but by personal visits and addresses, the advantages of independence.
There can be but little doubt but that the views of our colonists fresh from Great Britain, with personal knowledge of the evils of the administration of George III, had their influence with their American neighbors. The latter held their Scotch compatriots in high esteem, and the Bayley and Johnson papers preserved at Newbury, record the confi- dence which was felt in the judgment and experience of Col. Alexander Harvey of Barnet. So far as our information extends, there was not a tory among the Scotch settlers of either town.
The old colonial laws required military duty of all able bodied men. Accordingly Mr. Whitelaw tells us that "on the 14th of May, 1776, the
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HISTORY OF RYEGATE, VERMONT.
inhabitants met in order to choose military officers, and chose James Henderson, captain; Robert Brock, lieutenant, and Bartholemew Somers, ensign."
No roll of this company has come to light, but it probably included some non-residents who were at work there, clearing land. In May, 1775, a company of minute-men was formed at Newbury, and the muster- roll includes several men who lived in the east part of Barnet, but none from Ryegate, so we may conclude that there were men enough in the town to form a company, but how they were armed we are not informed. In Bath the first military company mustered only a few guns, and most of the men carried cornstalks at drill, to deceive the Indians, and that at all times the enemy was near, and lurking in the woods, few doubted. But the colonists were almost without means of defense. Col. Harvey wrote to General Bayley urging that if it were possible, some powder and flints should be sent the settlers in Barnet, as he doubted if there was a pound of powder in the town. A few weeks later, he gratefully acknowledged the receipt of two pounds of powder and fifty flints from the Newbury stock.
The whole northern country was in a state of anxious suspense dur- ing the spring of 1776, rumors of invasion increased, and the defeat of the army in Canada rendered the position of the Coos country very hazardous. On the 18th of June, St. Johns was retaken by the British, and on the 24th of June the Committees of Safety from all the towns in the valley met at General Bayley's house in Newbury to concert measures for the safety of the country. It was decided to send messengers to warn all the settlers along the frontier. Mr. Whitelaw tells the result in Ryegate, thus:
"On the first of July, upon the alarm coming of St. Johns being retaken by the Regulars, and that Indians would be sent through to lay waste the country, all the people of Ryegate moved down to Newbury, where they had more company and foolishly thought there was less danger, but after staying there about ten days, and seeing no appearance of danger, they all returned to their respective homes."
William Neilson was the only one of the colonists who stood his ground. Mr. Mason says that he was returning from Newbury, with a bag of meal on his back, when he met the Ryegate and Barnet people as they were going down the hill north of Wells River, men, women and children. He accompanied his family to Newbury, where he spent one night, and then declaring that he had "not come all the way from Scotland to be driven off his land," returned to his cabin. The afternoon was spent in concealing his valuables-hiding his silver, it is said, under hills of potatoes-he barricaded his cabin, loaded his pistols, and went to bed, expecting to be aroused by the attack of the Indians. The sun was
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RYEGATE IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
an hour high when he awoke, the morning was beautiful, and no appear- ance of the savage enemy was to be seen. Neilson remained alone in his cabin till the people returned from Newbury, but afterwards declared that the suspense, with no one within many miles, in momentary expectation of attack, was an experience which he would never repeat.
As a matter of fact, a small number of Canadians followed the trail to the borders of Peacham, but ventured no further. The tories, of whom there were numbers in Haverhill and Newbury, seized the occasion to create a panic.
The year 1777 was one of anxiety and stress to the colonies, as the government of Great Britain had devised plans, whose execution was expected to crush the insurrection in America, in one decisive campaign. An army was assembled in Canada, which was intended to advance by way of Lake Champlain to Hudson river, and form a junction with the forces of General Clinton, which were to ascend the river from New York, and thus sever New England from the middle colonies. It was known all over the country that great preparations were going on in Canada, and all the Committees of Safety were engaged in raising forces to oppose them, but it was not known what direction such an invasion was to take.
It was the opinion of General Bayley and others, who were intrusted with the defense of the northern frontier, that the British would invade the country in two divisions, one of which would descend the Connecticut valley, and thus the settlements in the Coös Country would be the first to be exposed to the ravages of war. In that case, our Ryegate colonists, being an outpost, were in great danger.
That this fear was not without foundation is shown by General Burgoyne's testimony before the committee of the House of Commons upon the conduct of the war in America, that if he had not been strictly bound by his orders to invade the country with his entire army by way of Lake Champlain, he would have detached a large force in this direc- tion, and thus divide the militia sent to oppose him, and at the same time secure supplies in the thriving settlements of the Connecticut valley.
The alarm of war was early heard, and on the 22d of February, says the journal of Col. Frye Bayley, an express came from General Schuyler, to " take every fifth man in the militia to go to Ticonderoga and re-inforce the garrison." All the militia in the region assembled on the 24th, at the inn of Col. Robert Johnston, a building still standing at the south end of Newbury village. On the 26th the men set out. No record of their names is preserved, and we do not know whether any Ryegate men were among them, or any who afterward settled here. Neither do we know how long they were absent, or in what particular service they were engaged.
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HISTORY OF RYEGATE, VERMONT.
In the month of June the army of General Burgoyne passed over the entire length of Lake Champlain, a magnificent sight, and on the 29th encamped before Fort Ticonderoga, which was evacuated on the 6th of July. The invading army consisted of 8000 British and German troops, beside Canadian militia and Indians. At that place he issued a proclamation, promising rewards to those who joined his army, protec- tion to those who remained quiet, and extermination to those who resisted. He also threatened to unloose all the northern Indians upon the settlements. Many of the savages joined his army but he could not control them, and their outrages roused the country to resistance.
But it took time to gather the militia, and secure supplies for their maintenance in a new country, while in the meantime Burgoyne made his way unchecked to the Hudson, which he reached on the 29th of July, and expected to form, in a few days, a junction with Clinton. He had been led to believe that the setlements in the region now called Vermont, abounded with men who were at least loyal to the British cause, and who only waited for protection to join the army. He was also in need of horses, and of supplies for the army, and conceived the idea of send- ing a detachment of his force eastward to Arlington and Manchester, and, if circumstances permitted, across the mountains to Connecticut River, from which place they were to return by the great road to Albany. This detachment was to be under the command of Colonel Frederick Baume, a veteran German officer.
Among the valuable Johnson papers, owned by the Tenney Memorial Library at Newbury, is one which is believed to be, by its internal evi- dence, Burgoyne's amended draft, in his own handwriting, of his instruc- tions to Col. Baume. This unique document, whose historic value had escaped notice, is, by special vote of the library trustees, permitted to be printed, for the first time, in this volume.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR LT. COL. BAUME.
The Object of your Expedition is to try the Affections of the Country, to Dis- concerte the Councils of the Enemy, to mount the Riedesel Dragoons, to complete Peters' Corps, and to obtain large supplies of Cattle, Horses and Carriages. The several Corps, of which the enclos'd is a list, are to be under your Command : the Troops must take no Tents, and what little baggage is carried by the officers must be on their own Bat-Horses. You are to procede from Batenkill to Arling- ton and take Post there till the Detatchments of the Provincials under the Com- mand of Capt. Sherwood shall join you from the Southward.
NOTE. Col Robert Johnston of Newbury, and his brother, Col. Charles John- ston of Haverhill, were among the most prominent men in this part of the country during the revolutionary war. Of the former's daughters, one married Gen. James Whitelaw, another, John Scott of Ryegate and Newbury, a third married William Tice of Barnet, another was the grandmother of the late Gov. C. J. Bell, of Walden. a fifth daughter married Jonas Tucker of Newbury. His sons were also prominent men.
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Again : you are then to procede to Manchester where you will take Post, so as to secure the Pass of the Mountains on the Road from Manchester to Rocking- ham. From hence you will Detach the Endians and Light Troops to the North- ward toward Otter Creek on their Return, and Receiving Intelligence that no Enemy is in force upon Connecticut River. You will procede by the Road over the Mountains to Rockingham where you will take Post : this will be the most Distant part of the Expedition, [and must be proceded upon with Caution, as you will have the Defile of the Mountains behind you which might make a Retreat Difficult.] You must therefore endeavour to be well informed of the force of the Enemy's Militia in the Neighbouring Country. [Should you find it may with Prudence be Affected] you are to remain there [while the Endians and Light Troops are Detatch'd up the River] and you are afterward to Descend the River to Brattleborough and from that place by the Quickest March you are to return by the Great Road to Albany. During your whole Progress your Detatchments are to have Orders to bring in all Horses fit to mount the Dragoons under your Command, or to serve as * Bat-Horses to your Troops, together with as many Saddles and Bridles as can be procured. [The Number of Horses with those necessary for mounting the regt. of the Dragoons ought to be thirteen hundred. If you can bring more for the use of the Army it will be so much the better]. Your parties are Likewise to bring in Wagons and other convenient Carriages with as many Draught Oxen as will be necessary to draw them and all Cattle fit for slaughter, milch Cows only excepted, which are to be left for the use of the Inhabitants.
Regular Receipts in the Form here-to subjoined are to be given in places where any of the above-mentioned articles are taken-to such Persons as have remained quiet in their Habitations and otherwise complied with the Terms of General Burgoyne's manifesto, but no Receipts to be given to those who are known to be Active in the service of the Rebels [as you will have with you Persons perfectly acquainted with the Abilities of the Country.] It may perhaps be Advisable to take those several Districts with the Portions of the several Articles and Limit the Horses for the delivery.
And should you find it Necessary to move before such Delivery can be made, Hostages of the Most Respectable People should be taken to secure the Follow- ing the next day.
All possible means are to be used to prevent Plundering as it is probable that Capt. Sherwood, who is already detatched to the Several and will join you at Arlington will drive in a Considerable Quantity of Cattle and Horses to you and you will therefore send in these Cattle to the Army with a proper Detatchment from Peter's Corps in Order to Disencumber Yourselves, but you must always keep the Regiment of Dragoons compact. The Dragoons must themselves ride and take care of the Horses of the Regiment. The Horses destined for the use of the Army must be tied together in strings of ten each in order that one man may lead ten horses. You will give the unarmed men of Peter's Corps to conduct them, and any inhabitants whom you can trust. You must always keep your Camps in Good Provision, but at the same time where there is Pasture you must have a Chain of Sentinels around your Cattle where Grazing. Col. Skeene will be with you as much as possible to help you to Distinguish the Good Sub- jects from the Bad-to procure the best intelligence of the Enemy and choose those People who are to bring me the Accounts of your Progress and Success.
* Bat-Horse, i. e., Pack Horse.
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HISTORY OF RYEGATE, VERMONT.
When you find it Necessary to halt a Day or Two you will always Intrench the Camp of the Regiment of Dragoons in Order to Resist an Attack or Affront from the Enemy. [As you will return with the Regiment of Dragoons mounted you must always have a detatchment of Peter's or Fraser's Corps in front of the Column, the same as in the Rear in order to prevent your falling into an Ambuscade when you march through the Woods.] You will use all possible means to make the Country believe that the Troops under your Command are the advance Corps of the Army and that it is to pass to Connecticut on the Road to Boston. You will likewise insinuate that the main army from Albany is to be Joined at Springfield by the Corps of Troops from Rhodeisland.
It is highly probable that the Corps under Mr. Warner, now supposed to be at Manchester, will Retreat before you-but should they contrary to Expectation be able to Collect in great force and post themselves Advantageously, it is left to your Discretion to Attack them or not.
Always bearing in mind that your Corps is too Valuable to let any considera- ble loss be Hazarded on this Occasion. Should any Corps be moved from Mr. Arnold's main Army to intercept your Retreat, you are to take as strong a Post as the Country will afford. And send the quickest intelligence to me, and you may depend on my making such Movements as shall put the Enemy Between two Fire's or otherwise sustain you.
It is imagined that the Progress of the whole Expedition may be effected in about a fortnight. But every Movement of it Depends on your Success in or obtaining such supplies of Provision as will enable you to subsist on your return to the Army in case you cannot get any more. [& should not the Army reach Albany Before your Expedition shall be completed, I will find some way to send you notice of it, and give your Route another Direction.]
All Persons acting in Committees, or any Officers acting in or under the Direction of the Congress, either Civil or Military are to be made Prisoners.
I heartily wish you Success.
I am Sir your Most Obedient Humble Servant, JN. BURGOYNE, CO. GEN'L.
Headquarters Near Saratoga.
Augst. 7th, 1777.
Comparison of this remarkable paper with other copies of Bur- goyne's orders to Col. Baume, reveals some interesting facts. A volume printed in London, in 1780, entitled the "State of the Expedition from Canada, by J. Burgoyne," and giving not only Burgoyne's testimony before the committee of the House of Commons, but copies of his letters and orders, gives, in parallel columns, his first draft of instructions, and in the other the amendments and additions to this first draft. In the letter, as we give it here, it is precisely as there printed, and the amend- ments to the original draft are here indicated by parentheses. In the volume of 1780, the spelling is corrected, and the use of capitals conforms to the ordinary usage. In this volume the last sentence, beginning in the copy we have given, "All persons acting," etc., is wanting, as well as the address and signature. In the second volume of the collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1793, is given the "Original Orders of General Burgoyne to Colonel Baume,""from the original presented to the
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Society by General Lincoln." It differs here and there from the Newbury copy, and is signed "J. Burgoyne, Lt .- Gen'1., Head Q'rs., Aug. 9, 1777." In the N. H. State Papers, Vol. VIII., pp. 664-666, a fourth copy is given, which differs slightly from either of the others, and Dr. Bouton, the editor, says that the headquarters were at Fort Edward. He does not state where he obtained his copy. The one owned by the library at Newbury, and bound in the volume of the military papers of Colonel Thomas Johnson, is certainly a rare and valuable historical document.
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