USA > Vermont > History of eastern Vermont, from its earliest settlement to the close of the eighteeth century with a biographical chapter and appendixes > Part 61
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In answer to a petition signed by the inhabitants of Cumber- land county, permission was given them by the Governor and Council of New York, to elect two representatives to the Gene- ral Assembly of that province. The order confirming this per- mission was promulged on the 23d of December, 1772, and at an election subsequently held, Samuel Wells of Brattleborough and Crean Brush of Westminster were returned as representa- tives. On the 2d of February, 1773, they presented their cre- dentials to the General Assembly, and were admitted to seats " at the table" of legislation. Brush although in a great mea- sure devoid of principle, possessed many of the qualifications essential to the character of a successful partizan politician, and he soon became noted for his advocacy of all ministerial mea-
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HISTORY OF EASTERN VERMONT.
sures, and for his hatred of every attempt at reform. Fluency of speech and a spirited style of oratory, enabled him to give expression to his opinions in a manner which attracted atten- tion. By these means he obtained an influence, which he never failed to exert in behalf of his party. In the controversy be- tween New Hampshire and New York respecting the New Hampshire Grants, he evinced a deep interest, and was well prepared by knowledge obtained while in the office of the se- cretary of state to present the question in an accurate and reli- able form.
In answer to a petition from Col. John Maunsell and others, "interested in lands to the westward of Connecticut river," praying that the General Assembly would adopt measures to prevent " the success of the solicitations and interposition of the government of New Hampshire, in prejudice of the ancient limits" of New York, the House on the 17th of February, 1773, having resolved itself into a " grand committee on griev- ances," declared that the eastern limits of the colony, both by the royal grants to the Duke of York and by the orders in privy council of July 20th, 1764, were the western banks of Connecticut river. For the purpose of presenting the subject in a tangible form, they appointed Col. Philip Schuyler, John De Noyellis, and Crean Brush a committee to draft a represen- tation of the rights of the colony of New York to the lands in question. This representation, when agreed to by the House, was to be transmitted to the agent of the colony, to enable him to maintain the claim at the court of Great Britain. On Satur- day, the 6th of March following, Mr. Brush gave in the report of the committee, which was adopted on Monday the 8th, and entered on the journals. It was entitled " A state of the right of the colony of New York, with respect to its eastern bound- ary on Connecticut river, so far as concerns the late encroach- ments under the government of New Hampshire."
This document was subsequently printed in the form of a folio pamphlet, and, with others of a similar character, was placed in the hands of all the leading men engaged in the con- troversy. It was prepared mainly by the Hon. James Duane, and presented an able argument in support of the rights of New York. Although it had been hoped that the reasons brought forward in the representation would have a tendency to restrain the people residing on the " Grants," who favored the jurisdiction of New Hampshire, from indulging in acts of
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BRUSH'S INFLUENCE.
violence against the settlers under New York, yet evils of this nature seemed rather to increase than diminish. On the 1st of February, 1774, Benjamin Hough, a magistrate by appoint- ment from New York, presented a petition to the General As- sembly of the province, asking, in behalf of himself and others, to be protected from the "outrageous cruelty" of the " Ben- nington mob." The subject was considered in "the grand committee on grievances," and a report therefrom was pre- sented to the House on the 5th, by Mr. Brush, in behalf of the chairman, Mr. Clinton, recommending that body to request the Governor to issue his proclamation, offering a reward of £50 each for the apprehension of Ethan Allen and seven of his compatriots, and counselling the House to bring in a bill to suppress " riotous and disorderly proceedings." Mr. Brush and Colonel Ten Broeck were appointed to prepare the bill, and on the 9th the result of their labors was laid before the house, and was soon after passed into a law. The Governor's proclamation was issued on the 9th of March, and a reward of £100 each was offered for the apprehension of Ethan Allen and Remember Baker, and of £50 each for the apprehension of six of the other ringleaders.
The influence which Mr Brush possessed in the House was neither feeble nor unfrequently exercised. On the night of the 29th of December, 1773, the mansion of Governor Tryon was destroyed by fire. This calamity was referred to by the Go- vernor, in his speech to the Assembly, on the 12th of January, 1774. A few days later a motion was offered by Mr. Brush, in these words : "I move that the House do resolve, that there be allowed unto his Excellency the Governor, the sum of £5,000, as a token of the deep concern of this House for the damage he sustained by the late dreadful fire, towards a com- pensation, in some measure, of his great losses ; and as a pub- lic testimonial of that high respect and esteem they bear to his person and family." This proposition elicited much debate, and, though strenuously opposed, was passed by a majority of two, fourteen members voting for and twelve against it. Soon after these occurrences, the Governor made known his inten- tion of departing for England. The announcement was pub- lished to the house on the 8th of March, and Messrs. Wilkins, Jauncey, and Brush were appointed to draft an address to his Excellency, " expressing the high sense they entertain of the great and extensive benefit derived to the colony from the up-
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HISTORY OF EASTERN VERMONT.
rightness, justice, and impartiality of his administration ; the deep concern they feel on his departure ; their ardent desire of his speedy return; their affectionate wishes for the welfare and happiness of his Excellency and his family; and their firm reliance that he will represent to their most gracious Sove- reign, the unshaken loyalty of this his faithful colony, and their steady and zealous attachment to his sacred person and govern- ment." With true Irish spirit, Mr. Brush in the address which he drew, embodied in the most fulsome language the ideas contained in the above resolution, and on the 20th of March the culogistic document was placed in the hands of the man who afterwards became notorious, as the sacker of peaceful villages, and the murderer of unoffending women and helpless children.
Bitterly opposed to every measure designed to introduce a more faithful administration of the government, Mr. Brush now directed his efforts to stem the torrent which was soon to break down the barriers of tyrannical oppression. On the 23d of February, 1775, he delivered a set-speech against the proposi- tion of Mr. Thomas, to elect delegates to the second Continen- tal Congress. Being charged "with using expressions which threw indecent reflections both on the conduct of the gentle- men of the opposition and on the proceedings of the last Con- gress," Mr. Brush caused his speech to be printed and pub- lished, that the public might be able to form an opinion as to the justice of the charges. He was answered by Messrs. Clin- ton and Schuyler, who, with Colonel Woodhull, were the lead- ing patriots in the house. The debate was significant of the spirit of the times, and served to show how widely at variance were the opinions of those who, as representatives of the peo- ple, were assembled to legislate for the welfare of the colony. On the same day, Mr. Brush presented the report of the com- mittee, who, in pursuance of Mr. De Lancey's motion, made on the 31st of January, had been appointed "to prepare a state of the grievances" of the colony. On the 9th of March, he was chosen, with Colonel Seaman and Mr. Gale, to prepare the draft of a memorial to the House of Lords. The report, which he presented on the 16th, as chairman of the committee, was subjected to many alterations and amendments. With the other memorials which had been prepared for the King and the Commons, it was adopted on the 25th. These addresses were in every respect, " tame, ridiculous, and very loyal," but the House was ruled by a Tory majority, who strove in every
609
RETIREMENT FROM LEGISLATIVE OFFICE.
way to adopt such measures, as would be most likely to ad- vance the interests of their own party, and it was by their votes that every vigorous effort of the minority was emascu- lated, and made to do service in behalf of oppression.
Mr. Brush's name appears with prominence on one other occasion, in the records of the Colonial Assembly. As soon as the news of the " Westminster Massacre " reached New York, the messengers who had brought the information were examined, and their depositions were laid before Lieut .- Gov. Colden. His message, delivered on the 23d of March, recommended imme- diate action. The subject was brought up for consideration on the 30th. Ever ready to gain power by a bold act, Mr. Brush moved that the sum of £1,000 be " granted to his Majesty to be applied to enable the inhabitants of the county of Cumber- land to reinstate and maintain the due administration of justice in the said county, and for the suppression of riots therein." The motion prevailed in this form, and the treasurer of the colony was ordered to disburse the amount named, on warrants issued by the proper authorities. With the adjournment of the Assembly on the 3d of April, ended Mr. Brush's career as a legislator. His ability as an orator was acknowledged even by his foes, and his speeches were generally prepared with care and skill. As a writer, he is referred to in Trumbull's MacFin- gal, in the following verses :-
" Had I the Poet's brazen lungs, As sound-board to his hundred tongues, I could not half the scribblers muster That swarmed round Rivington in cluster ; Assemblies, councilmen, forsooth ; Brush, Cooper, Wilkins, Chandler, Booth ; Yet all their arguments and sap'ence You did not value at three half-pence."*
During the summer which followed the commencement of hostilities in the colonies, Mr. Brush probably remained in the city of New York, working as best he might for the good of the King. In the fall he repaired to Boston, then occupied by the British, and offered his services to General Gage. These were accepted, and he was soon after engaged in an employment which gave him a temporary power, which he did not fail to
* American Archives, Fourth Series, vol. i. cols. 1288, 1290-1294, 1303, 1307, 1316-1318, 1322. Journals Col. Ass. N. Y. Doc. Hist. N. Y., iv. 1025. Dun- lap's N. Y., i. 450, 451. Trumbull's MacFingal, Boston ed., 1799, canto i. p. 28.
39
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HISTORY OF EASTERN VERMONT.
exercise. General Gage, though he favored the occupation of New York, "regarded the evacuation of Boston as a measure of too much danger, and difficulty, and importance," to be taken without the sanction of government. Having determined to winter his army in the latter place, he, in the last of September, 1775, " commenced preparations to quarter it in the houses of the inhabitants." "In consequence of this determination, it was necessary to remove the furniture from the buildings that would be required." This business was entrusted to Crean Brush, who was armed with a commission vesting him with authority to receive and protect such personal property as should be en- trusted to his care .*
The issue of this commission was one of the last official acts of General Gage in Boston. Already had he received orders to repair to England. In obedience to these orders he sailed on the 10th of October, and on the same day General Howe suc-
* The following is a copy of the commission referred to in the text :
"By His Excellency The Honorable Thomas Gage, Captain-General and Gover- nor-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Province of Massachusetts Bay, and Vice-Admiral of the same, General and Commander-in-Chief of all His Majes- ty's Forces in North America, &c., &c., &c.
"TO CREAN BRUSH, Esquire :-
" Whereas, there are large quantities of Goods, Wares, and Merchandize, Chat- tles and Effects of considerable value left in the Town of Boston by Persons who have thought proper to depart therefrom, which are lodged in dwelling Houses, and in Shops and Storehouses adjoining to or making part of Dwelling Houses :
" And Whereas, there is great reason to apprehend, and the Inhabitants have expressed some fears concerning the safety of such goods, especially as great part of the Houses will necessarily be Occupied by His Majesty's Troops and the fol- lowers of the Army, as Barracks during the Winter Season; To quiet the fears of the Inhabitants, and more especially to take all due care for the preservation of such Goods, Wares, and Merchandize: I have thought fit and do hereby Autho- rize and appoint you the said Crean Brush to take and receive into your Care, all such Goods, Chattles, and Effects as may be voluntarily delivered into your Charge by the owners of such Goods, or the Person or Persons whose care they may be left in, on your giving Receipts for the same; and you are to take all due care thereof, and to deliver said Goods, when called upon, to those to whom you shall have given Receipts for the same. For all which Services you are to Receive Ten Shillings Sterling per Day. Given under my Hand and Seal at Head-Quar- ters in Boston the First day of October, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Five, in the Fifteenth Year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King; Defender of the Faith, and so forth. THOS. GAGE.
" By his Excellency's Command,
"SAM. KEMBLE."
611
MEMORIAL TO GOVERNOR GAGE.
ceeded him in the command of the troops. Meantime, Brush, although busied among the
-"parritch-pats and auld saut-backets"
which the good wives of Boston had left behind them, still found time to evince his loyalty in other ways. He, in common with the army of General Howe, felt secure in his present position, and was almost certain of the ultimate success of the British forces. Owing in part to this confidence, and in part to a desire of reducing the inhabitants of the New Hampshire Grants to submission, in which district he owned several thousand acres of land, he drew up a memorial in which he offered his services to raise a body of men to be employed in the service of the King. This memorial was found among his papers, when a few months later he was taken prisoner. It was addressed to Gene- ral Gage. The intention of its author, doubtless, was to trans- mit it to England, trusting to Gage's influence with the Ministry for a favorable answer to the propositions therein advanced. The supposition that it ever reached the eyes of him for whom it was intended is baseless. As to the memorialist, the designs by which he had hoped to advance the interests of the Crown, and gratify his own avarice and ambition, were defeated by a change in his own circumstances which was as humiliating as it was unexpected .*
* For the purpose of showing the loyalty of Mr. Brush's disposition, a copy of the memorial is here annexed :-
"To His Excellency The Honorable Thomas Gage, Lieutenant-General of His - Majesty's Forces, &c., &c., &e.
"The memorial of Crean Brush of the Province of New York, Esquire,
"Most Respectfully sheweth-
" That your Memorialist hath in several Civil De- partments zealously exerted himself in supporting the Constitution and Authority of Parliament over all His Majesty's Dominions, but the unwearied assiduity of an artful, ambitious Confederacy having prevailed, and the People pursuing the Arbitrary Dictates of such Confederates-having shook off their allegiance to the best of Kings, and their Obedience to Lawful Authority, with Ingratitude unparal- leled burst forth into open Rebellion, making their final Appeal to Arms and rest their Fate on the decision of the Sword alone, whereby every Bond of Society is Dissolved, and all Persons precluded from supporting His Majesty's Government in a Civil Capacity.
" Your Memorialist, therefore, to Manifest his Zeal for His Majesty's Person and Government, in the present Exigence, begs leave to propose to your Excellency that he will forthwith, upon being duly authorized, raise a Body of Volunteers,
612
HISTORY OF EASTERN VERMONT.
By the 5th of February, 1776, Mr. Brush had received into liis custody a large amount of goods, wares, and merchandize. General Howe, although he had resolved to evacuate Boston, was determined to wait " until he had additional transports and sufficient provisions for a long voyage ; and also, until a favor-
consisting of not less than three Hundred effective Men, exclusive of Officers, One Hundred and fifty of whom to be formed into an Independent Company under his Command, and the residue to be disposed of at the pleasure of the Command- er-in-Chief, the whole to serve in Conjunction with His Majesty's other Forces, during the continuance of the present Rebellion, upon the same pay, and Royal Bounty, as granted to the new rais'd Royal Fencible American Regiment, and this Proposal your Memorialist flatters himself with a certainty of effecting from his Connections and Friends among the well-disposed Inhabitants. And after the Subduction of the Main Body of Rebel Force, your Memorialist would further humbly propose, that an establishment of three Hundred Men, including such of the three Hundred Men so to be raised by him as may then remain, exclusive of Officers, might be formed into one Body under his Command to occupy proper Posts on Connecticut River, and open a Line of communication from thence West- ward towards Lake Champlain, to continue on that Station so long as the Com- mander-in-Chief of His Majesty's Forces shall judge expedient, and then to be Reduced. And your Memorialist's intimate Knowledge of that Frontier enables him to assure your Excellency that such an Establishment in that Country (far remote as it is from the Seat and Aid of Government) will become absolutely necessary for the purpose of reducing to Obedience, and bringing to Justice, a dangerous Gang of Lawless Banditti, who, without the least pretext of Title, have, by Violence, possessed themselves of a large Tract of Interior Territory, between Connecticut River on the East, and the Waters of Hudson's River and Lake Champlain on the West, in open defiance of Government, holding themselves ameniable to no Law, but confiding in their own strength, have for many Years committed the most unheard of Cruelties, and spread Terror and Destruction around them, without Fear of Punishment or possibility of Control, as well as to form a proper Defence (in conjunction with the well-disposed Inhabitants) against such discomfited Rebels as fleeing from the Main Body of His Majesty's Forces, will have no other Refuge to seek than this Interior defenceless Country, and who, forming themselves into Armed Bands, will Associate with the Needy and Disso- lute, and without Remorse, destroy all distinction of Property founded on Law, or Subject it to their depredation. The Restoration and Protection of Courts of Jus- tice, and of the Civil Magistrate in the due Execution of his Office, on which is dependant the whole Security and Happiness of the Subject, forms the great ulti- mate end of the proposed arrangement.
"Your Memorialist therefore Humbly Prays your Excellency will take the Premises into Consideration, and if the Measure pro- posed is favored with your Approbation that you will be pleased to lay the same before His Majesty's Ministers of State with your Excellency's opinion thereon.
" And Your Memorialist will Pray.
"Boston, 10th January, 1776."
Frothingham's Siege of Boston, pp. 246, 247, 249, 294, 295. MSS. entitled " Revolution Messages," etc., which include a number of papers relative to Brush, in office Sec. State Mass., 1775-1783, pp. 297-319.
613
REMOVAL OF PROPERTY FROM BOSTON.
able season should arrive." Under these circumstances, Mr. Brush, anxious to be directed as to the disposal of the property in his possession, made application to General Howe, to Briga- dier-General James Robertson, to the Quarter-Master General, and to the Adjutant-General for advice. Robertson alone deigned to attend to the subject. At his request, Mr. Brush engaged Charles Blasquet, Richard Hill, John Hill, and David Cunningham, " under high wages," to devote "their whole time and attention " to the business of packing and casing the goods he had collected, and of conveying them on board the brigan- tine Elizabeth, then lying in the harbor at Clark's wharf. This vessel belonged to Richard Hart of Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire, and had been purchased as a transport .* In the confusion incident to the situation of the town, carts and boats could be procured only with the greatest difficulty. Mr. Brush and his aids were, on this account, compelled to ship their goods by such conveyances as chance afforded, and as the brigantine was at that time in the charge of three persons only, two of whom were boys, and all inexperienced, the packages, which were but poorly put together, were worse bestowed.
At this juncture, Cyrus Baldwin, a Boston merchant who had left town through fear of the British, and had retired to Woburn, wrote to William Jackson and his brother who still remained in Boston, begging them to receive from him a power of attorney, and take the charge of his effects. With this request they com- plied, and soon after received from him through his clerk, Mr. Shaw, the keys of his store. At the same time, Shaw removed to the store of the Jacksons a portion of his employer's goods for safer keeping. As it became more and more apparent that the British would be compelled to evacuate Boston earlier than they had intended, their conduct became more and more insolent. Early in the month of March, a number of Tories who had taken possession of the house of one Mr. Marsh, which adjoined Bald- win's, came out by the scuttle and broke open Baldwin's house through the roof. This act was performed in the dead of night. On the following morning William Jackson, having received information of what had happened, went to Baldwin's house, and upon examination discovered that, although some damage had been done, yet that several packages of goods which had been stored there, were untouched. He then remonstrated with
* " This vessel was purchased by William Jackson at the Brazen Head." Edes's Boston Gazette, Monday, April 8, 1776. Connecticut Courant, April 15, 1776.
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HISTORY OF EASTERN VERMONT.
those who had been guilty of this burglary, on the "iniquity of such doings," but without much effect. On the 9th of March, which was Saturday, as he was approaching his storehouse, he found Mr. Brush and a number of his attendants in front of Baldwin's place of business, the next to his own. Brush imme- diately demanded of him the keys of Baldwin's storehouse ; de- clared that he had authority to seize his and other people's goods ; pronounced Baldwin a rebel; and vowed to break the doors through in case peaceable entrance was not given. Being unable without aid to make a successful resistance, Jackson repaired in haste to General Howe. Meeting one of his aids-de- camp, he informed him of his situation, and in view of the power of attorney which he held from Baldwin, asked to be de- fended in his rights. An orderly sergeant was thereupon deputed to return with him, with a verbal order that Mr. Brush should not molest Baldwin's goods. The sergeant delivered a wrong message, and commanded Brush not to disturb the pro- perty of Jackson. Jackson corrected the mistake, but Brush refused to receive the correction unless it was made in writing and by the proper authority. On going the second time to head- quarters, Jackson was unable to see either of the aids-de-camp. On his return Mr. Brush and his men broke open Baldwin's storehouse, and having obtained conveyances, removed the greater part of its contents to the brigantine Elizabeth.
Not satisfied with the power with which he had been vested, Mr. Brush obtained from General Howe, on the 10th of March, private instructions to seize those "goods," which, if retained by the rebels, would enable them to carry on the war, and " put them on board the Minerva ship, or the brigantine Eliza- beth." In accordance with these private instructions, General Howe, on the same day, which was Sunday, issued a procla- mation which, having been printed in the form of a handbill, was posted in the most conspicuous places in Boston, ordering the removal of " linen and woollen goods" from the place, and declaring that any person who should secrete or retain articles of this description would be treated as " a favourer of rebels."*
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