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3. Quebec was commanded by Montcalm, an able and experienced general ; and was defended by works which were deemed impregnable, and by an army much more numerous than that of the English. Wolfe continued his offensive operations without a prospect of success till the beginning of September, when it was resolved, if possible, to effect a landing above the city, and bring the enemy to a general engagement. The fleet, with the army on board, moved up the river, under Admiral Saunders, and effected a landing on the 12th of September a little after midnight. Wolfe put himself at the head of the first party, as- cended the heights, and drew up his men in order as fast as they arrived.
4. Montcalm no sooner learned that the British had gained the heights of Abraham, than he abandoned his strong camp at Montmorenci, resolved to hazard an engagement. Both armies were soon drawn up in order of battle with their respective generals at their head. About 9 o'clock, the French army ad- vanced, opening at the same time an irregular and ill directed fire. The fire of the English was reserved till the enemy had approached within 40 yards of their line, when it was opened with effect and kept up with much spirit. Both generals were determined to conquer or die, and for a while the conflict was dreadful. But the English advanced with such firm- ness and intrepidity, that the French were unable to stand, and were soon defeated and dispersed or made prisoners.
5. Wolfe and Montcalm both fell at the head of their respective armies. The loss of the French in
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HISTORY OF VERMONT.
this battle was 500 slain, and about 1000 prisoners. The English had 50 killed, including 9 officers, and 500 wounded. The French, disheartened by their losses, were thrown into great confusion ; and on the 18th 'of September, the remainder of the French troops and the city of Quebec were surrendered into the liands of the English.
6. While these things were transacting at Quebec, General Amherst was cautiously advancing along lake Champlain. He arrived in the vicinity of Ticondero- ga' in the latter part of July, without opposition, and im- mediately began to make preparations for reducing the fortress by a regular siege. The enemy, at first, manifested a disposition to make a resolute stand, but soon dispaired of holding out against the cautious ad- vances of Amherst, and on the 27th of July, having dismantled the fortress, they abandoned it, and repair- ed to Crown Point.
. 7. The next day Amherst took possession of the fort, and began immediately to repair and enlarge it, and to make preparations for proceeding against Crown Point. He had scouting parties continually employed to watch the motions of the enemy, one of which return- ed to the English camp on the first of August with in- telligence that the French had abandoned Crown Point also, and had gone down the lake without destroying their works. A body of rangers was immediately dis- pached to take possession of the place and on the 4th of August the whole army moved forward to Crown Point, where they also enlarged and strengthened the fortifications.
8. The French troops retired to the isle Aux Noix, which is situated at the north end of the lake, and effectually commands the passage into Canada in this quarter. Here they collected their forces, to the amount of 3500, well provided with artillery, and resolved to make a stand against the English. The French hav- ing four vessels on the lake, mounted with cannon, Amherst thought it not advisable to proceed further,
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MAJOR ROGERS' EXPEDITION.
till he had provided a superior naval force. In the mean time he was determined that the Indians should feel his resentment for their repeated depredations upon the English colonies. Maj. Rogers, a brave and experienced officer from New Hampshire, was there- fore selected to conduct an expedition against the St Francis Indians, whose village was situated on the south side of the St. Lawrence not far from Three Riv- ers. These Indians were noted for their massacres and cruelties to the English.
9. Rogers embarked at Crown Point, on the 12th of September, with 200 men, and proceeded down the lake in batteaux. On the fifth day after he set out, while encamped on the eastern shore of the lake, a keg of gunpowder accidentally exploded, by which a captain and several men were wounded, who were sent back to Crown Point, with a party to attend them. This event reduced Rogers' force to 142 men. With these he moved forward to Missisco bay, where he concealed his boats among some bushes which hung over one of the streams, and left in them provisions sufficient to carry them back to Crown Point.
10. Having left two of his rangers to watch the boats, Rogers advanced into the wilderness ; but, the second evening after he left the bay, he was overtaken by his trusty rangers, and informed that a party of 400 French and Indians had discovered the boats and sent them away with 50 men, and that the remainder were in pursuit of the English. Rogers kept this intelligence to himself but dispatched a Lieutenant and eight men, with the two rangers, to Crown Point, to inform Gen. Amherst of what had taken place, and request him to send provisions to Coos on Connecticut river, by which route he intended to return.
·' 11. Rogers now determined to outmarch the ene- my, and pushed onward towards St Francis with the utmost expedition. Hle come in sight of the village on the evening of the 4th of October, and, leaving his men to refresh themselves, he dressed himself in
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HISTORY OF VERMONT.
the Indian garb, and went forward to reconnoiter the town. He found the Indians engaged in a grand dance, without apprehensions of danger, and, return- ing about one o'clock, he led forward his men, within 500 yards of the town. At four o'clock the dance was ended and the Indians retired to rest.
12. Having posted his men in the most favorable situation, at day break Rogers commenced the assault. The place was completely surprised. The Indian method of slaughter was adopted .- Wherever the savages were found, without regard to age or sex, they were slain without distinction and without mer- cy. As the light appeared the ferocity of the pro- vincials was increased by discovering the scalps of several hundred of their countrymen suspended on poles and waving in the air. They were determined to revenge the blood of their friends and relations and spared no pains completely to destroy the village and its inhabitants. Of the 300 souls, which the village contained, 200 were slain on the spot, and 20 taken prisoners. The English lost only one killed and six slightly wounded.
13. Having reduced the village to ashes, and re- freshed his men, Rogers set out on his return, at 8 o'clock in the morning, with the addition of five En- glish captives, whom he had retaken, and such articles of plunder as he could easily carry away. To avoid his pursuers he proceeded up the river St Francis, and directed his course toward Coos on the Connec- ticut. On his march he was several times attacked in the rear and lost seven men, but forming an ambus- cade on his own track, he at length fell upon the enemy with such success as to put an end to further annoyance or pursuit.
14. In the mean time, by order of Gen. Amherst, Samuel Stevens and three others proceeded from Charlestown up Connecticut river, with two canoes, loaded with provisions. They landed on Round island, at the mouth of Passumpsuc river, where they encamp-
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INDIAN AND COLONIAL WARS.
ed for the night; but in the morning, hearing the report of guns and supposing Indians to be in the vi- cinity, they were so terrified, that they reloaded their provisions and hastened back to Charlestown. Rogers was at this time encamped a few miles up the Pas- sumpsuc. About noon he reached the mouth of that river, and, observing fire on the island, he made a raft and passed over to it; but to his surprise and disappointment, no provisions had been left. Ilis men, already reduced to a state of starvation, were so dis- beartened by this discovery that 36 of them died before the next day. An Indian was then cut to pieces and divided among the survivors; and the next day Ro- gers gave up the command of his men and told them to take care of themselves. Some were lost in the woods, but Rogers and most of his party after almost incredible hardships, succeeded in reaching Charles- town.
15. While Rogers was humbling the Indians, Amherst was preparing a naval force to attack the . enemy at the Isle Aux Noix. This being in readiness, he proceeded down the lake in the beginning of Oc- tober ; but, the season being far advanced and the weather becoming tempestuous, the expedition was abandoned, and he returned to Crown Point, after having taken, or destroyed, most of the enemy's ship- ping. Here Amherst spent the remainder of the autumn in enlarging the works and putting every thing in readiness for another campaign.
16. Gen. Prideaux had proceeded to Niagara in the beginning of summer, and invested the fort about the middle of July ; but, being unfortunately killed on the 20th of that month, the command devolved upon Sir William Jolmson. Johnson prosecuted the siege with the greatest vigor, and, on the morning of the 24th of July, intercepted and defeated, after a severe conflict, a body of 1200 French and some Indians, who were marching to the relief of the garrison. This battle was fought in sight of the fort, and, in the 5
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HISTORY OF VERMONT.
evening of the same day, the garrison surrendered themselves prisoners of war.
17. Montreal was now the only place of much strength, or consequence, in possession of the French; and towards this point, at the opening of the campaign of 1760, the English concentrated all their efforts. It was resolved that, while Gen. Murray, with the English forces at Quebec, proceeded up the St Law- rence, Col Haviland should lead on the forces from lake Champlain, and Gen. Amherst should approach Montreal with a considerable force by the way of lake Ontario. These armies moved forward with but little opposition, and, what is remarkable, without any knowledge of each others' progress, they all arrived at Montreal on the 6th and 7th of September, within two days of each other.
18. Amherst began immediately to prepare for laying siege to the city, and was getting on his ar- tillery for that purpose, when he received a flag of truce from Vaudrieul, the French commander, who sent two officers, demanding proposals for a capitu- lation. Amherst stated his terms, to which the French finally submitted, and, on the 8th of September, 1760, the whole province of Canada was surrendered to the British ; and by the treaty of peace signed at Paris, February 10, 1763, this province was formally ceded to the king of Great Britain.
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HISTORY OF VERMONT.
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CHAPTER II.
SETTLEMENT AND CONTROVERSY WITH NEW YORK.
SECTION I.
Vermont previous to the year 1760.
i> 1. During the Colonial and Indian wars, the ter- ritory of Vermont, as already remarked, was the great thoroughfare, through which most of their expeditions proceeded, and on which many of their battles were fought. Being situated nearly at an equal distance from the French on the one hand and the English on the other, it was constantly exposed to the depre- dations of both, and became the favorite lurking place of their Indian allies. On this account the settlement of the country had long been regarded as dangerous and impracticable : nor was it until after the complete conquest of Canada by the English in 1760, that any considerable settlements were made. Several places, it is true, had been previously occupied both by the French and English ; but they are rather to be regarded as military posts than actual settle- ments.
2. The first civilized establishment within the pre-
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HISTORY OF VERMONT.
sent limits of Vermont, was made in 1724, by the erection of fort Dummer, in the southeastern corner of the township of Brattleborough. The whole of this tract of country had previously, from time im- memorial, been in possession of the native Indians. But it does not appear, that, subsequent to the dis- covery of this territory by Champlain in 1609, the natives had ever resided here in very considerable numbers. The western parts, including lake Cham- plain, were claimed by. the Iroquois, the northeastern parts and lake Memphremagog, by the St Francis and other Canadian tribes, and the southeastern parts on Connectieut river were regarded as belonging to the natives in the neighborhood of Massachusetts Bay. Some establishments were, at times, made upon the shores of these waters by these several tribes, but it appears that this territory was rather regarded by them as a hunting ground than a permanent residence.
3. Although this tract of country was in some parts mountainous and unproductive, the forests were, in general, well stored with game, and the lakes, rivers and smaller streams abounded in excellent fish, which might have afforded subsistence to a very considerable population in the savage state. We must therefore look to some other cause for the scan- tiness of the population of these regions, than the incapacity of the country to support it; and this is undoubtedly to be found in its local situation with respect to the various Indian nations. Lying on the frontier of several powerful tribes who were inces- santly at war with each other, it became the bloody theatre of their battles and was constantly exposed to hostile invasions from every quarter. Hence we perceive that the same causes prevented its becoming a permanent residence of the Indians in earlier times, which operated during the colonial wars to prevent its being settled by the French and English.
4. As early as the year 1752, it was proposed by the English to lay out a township and commence a
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FIRST SETTLEMENTS.
settlement at Coos, on the west side of Connecticut river, where the township of Newbury in this state now lies ; and a party proceeded up the river for that purpose. But before they had completed their survey, they were observed by a party of St Francis Indians, who, perceiving their design, forbade their proceeding and compelled them to return without accomplishing their object. The Indians at the same time sent a message to the commander of the fort at Charlestown, N. H. stating to him in the most positive terms that they should not suffer the English to settle at Coos ; and so much was the resentment of the Indians dreaded at this early period, that the un- dertaking was immediately relinquished.
5. Soon after the erection of fort Dummer, several block-houses were built for the protection of the settlers in that part of Hinsdale, N. H. which was situated on the west side of the Connecticut, and which is now called Vernon ; and, before the year 1754, settlements had been commenced in Vermont as far up the Connecticut as Westminster and Rock- ingham. But their advancement was now stopped by the breaking out of what was called the French War, which continued, as related in the prece- ding chapter, till the final conquest of Canada in 1760. During this war, these feeble settlements were continually harrassed and annoyed by the French and Indians. The inhabitants could not cultivate their fields without being every moment exposed to the deadly fire of a lurking foe. Their block-houses were frequently surprised and taken, and the inhabitants either massacred, or carried into captivity.
6. No permanent settlement was effected in Ver- mont on the west side of the Green Mountains, till after the conquest of Canada by the English. When the French proceeded up lake Champlain and erected their fortress at Crown Point, in 1731, they began a settlement at the same time on the east side of the 5*
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HISTORY OF VERMONT.
lake in the present township of Addison. This settle- ment was, however, broken up and all the settlers retired, with. the French garrison, into Canada, before Gen. Amherst in 1759.
7. Such was the original condition of Vermont, and such were the establishments made within its limits previous to the year 1760. No permanent settlements had been made, at the close of this period, except upon the banks of Connecticut river, in the present county of Windham, and here the settlers were few and scattered, probably not amounting in the whole to more than two or three hundred. But in their expeditions against the French, the English colonists had made themselves acquainted with the fertility and value of the lands lying between Con- necticut river and lake Champlain, and the conquest of Canada having now removed the difficulty and danger of settling them, swarms of adventurers began to emigrate hither, and from the year 1760, the popu- lation of Vermont began to increase with considerable rapidity.
SECTION II.
Controversy between New Hampshire and New York, respecting the territory of Vermont --- from 1749 to 1764.
1. When the English commenced their establish- ment at fort Dummer, that fort was supposed to lie within the limits of Massachusetts, and the settlements in that vicinity were first made under grants from that provincial goverment. But after a long and tedious controversy, between Massachusetts and New Hampshire respecting their division line, king George If. finally decreed, on the 5th of March, 1740, that the northern boundary of the province of Massachu-
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CONTROVERSY-N. I. AND N. YORK.
setts, be a similar curve line, pursuing the course of the Merimac river, at three miles distant on the north side thereof, beginning at the Atlantic ocean, and ending at a point due north of Patucket falls ; and a straight line drawn from thence due west until it meets his Majesty's other governments.
2. This line was surveyed by Richard Hazen, in 1741, when fort Dummer was found to lie beyond the limits of Massachusetts to the north ; and, as the king of Great Britain repeatedly recommended to the assembly of New Hampshire to make provision for its support, it was generally supposed to have fallen within the jurisdiction of that province, and, being situated on the west side of the Connectient, it was supposed that New Hampshire extended as far west- ward as Massachusetts ; that is, to a line twenty miles east of Hudson's river.
3. In the year 1741, Benning Wentworth was commissioned governor of the province of New Hampshire. On the 3d of January, 1749, he made a grant of a township of land six miles square, situa- ted, as he conceived, on the western border of New Hampshire, being twenty miles cast of the Hudson and six miles north of Massachusetts line. This township, in allusion to his own name, he called Bennington. About the same time, a correspondence was opened between him and the governor of the province of New York, in which were urged their respective titles to the lands on the west side of Con- necticut river ; yet without regard to these interfering claims, Wentworth proceeded to make finther grants.
4. These grants had amounted to 16 townships in 1754, but, this year, hostilities were commenced between the French and English colonies, which put. a stop to further applications and grants till the close of the war, in 1760. During this war, the New Eng- iand troops opened a road from Charlestown in New Hampshire to Crown Point, and by frequently passing through these lands, became well acquainted with
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HISTORY OF VERMONT.
their fertility and value ; and the conquest of Canada having finally removed the danger of settling in this' part of the country, these lands were now eagerly sought by adventurers and speculators.
5. The governor of New Hampshire, by advice of his council, now ordered a survey to be made of Connecticut river for sixty miles, and three tiers of townships to be laid out on cach side. As the ap- plications for lands still increased, further surveys were ordered to be made, and so numerous were the applications, that during the year 1761, no less than sixty townships of six miles square were granted on the west side of Connecticut river. The whole number of grants, in one or two years more, had amounted to one hundred and thirty eight. Their extent was from Connecticut on the east to what was esteemed twenty miles east of Hudson river, so far as that river extended to the northward, and after that as far westward as lake Champlain.
6. By the fees and other emoluments, which Wentworth received in return for these grants, and by reserving five hundred acres in each township for himself, he was evidently accumulating a large for- tune. The government of New York, wishing to have the profits of these lands, became alarmed at the proceedings of the governor of New Hampshire and determined to check them. For this purpose Mr Colden, lieut governor of New York, on the 28th of December, 1763, issued a proclamation, in which he recited the grants made by Charles II. to the Duke of York, in 1664, and in 1674, which em- braced among other parts "all the lands from the west side of Connecticut river to the cast side of Delaware bay." Founding his claim upon this grant, he ordered the sheriff of the county of Albany to make returns of the names of all persons who had taken possession of lands on the west side of the Connecticut, under titles derived from the govern- ment of New Hampshire.
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PROCLAMATIONS OF THE GOVERNORS.
7. To prevent the effects which this proclamation was calculated to produce, and to inspire confidence in the validity of the New Hampshire grants, the gov- ernor of New Hampshire, on his part, put forth a counter proclamation, on the 13th of March, 1764, in which he declared that the grant to the Duke of York was obsolete ;- that New Hampshire extended as far west as Massachusetts and Connecticut, and that the grants made by New Hampshire would be confirm- ed by the crown, if the jurisdiction should be altered. He exhorted the settlers to be industrious and diligent in cultivating their lands, and not to be intimidated by the threatenings of New York. He required all the civil officers to exercise jurisdiction as far west as grants had been made, and to punish all disturbers of the peace. This proclamation served to quiet the minds of the settlers. Having purchased their lands under a charter from a royal governor, and after such assurances from him, they had no idea that a con- troversy between the two provinces, respecting the extent of the jurisdiction, would ever effect the va- lidity of their titles.
8. New York had hitherto founded her claim to the lands in question upon the grant to the Duke of York, but choosing no longer to rely on so precarious a tenure, application was now made to the crown for a confirmation of their claims. This application was supported by a petition, purporting to be signed by a great number of the settlers on the New Hampshire grants, representing that it would be for their advant- age to be annexed to the colony of New York, and praying that the western bank of Connecticut river might be established, as the eastern boundary of that province. In consequence of this petition and ap- plication of the government of New York, his Majesty, on the 20th of July, 1764, ordered that "the western bank of Connecticut river, from where it enters the province of Massachusetts bay, as far north as the 45th degree of north latitude, be the boundary line be-
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HISTORY OF VERMONT.
tween the said provinces of New Hampshire and New York." This determination does not appear to be founded on any previous grant, but was a decision which the wishes and convenience of the people were supposed to demand.
9. Surprised as were the settlers on the New Hampshire grants at this order, it produced in them no serious alarm. They regarded it as merely ex- tending the jurisdiction of New York, in future, over their territory. To this jurisdiction they were willing to submit; but they had no apprehension that it could, in any way, affect their title to the lands upon which they had settled. Having purchased and paid for them, and obtained deeds of the same under grants from the crown, they could not imagine by what perversion of justice they could be compelled, by the same authority, to re-purchase their lands or abandon them. The governor of New Hampshire, at first, remonstrated against this change of jurisdic- tion ; but was, at length, induced to abandon the contest, and issued a proclamation recommending to the proprietors and settlers, due obedience to the au- thority and laws of the colony of New York.
. SECTION III.
Controversy with New York from 1764 to 1773.
1. The royal decree, by which the division line between New Hampshire and New York was estab- lished, was regarded very differently by the different parties concerned. The settlers on the New Hamp- shire grants, considered, that it only placed them hereafter under the jurisdiction of New York, and to this they were willing to submit; but they had no idea that their titles to their lands, or that any past transactions, could be affected by it. Had tho gov-
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