USA > Vermont > Windham County > Guilford > Official history of Guilford, Vermont, 1678-1961. With genealogies and biographical sketches > Part 9
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A resolution was offered in Congress on December 5, 1782, by Mr. McKean, of Delaware, seconded by Alexander Hamilton of New York, referring to the Guilford disturbance, requiring the intervention of Congress for the protection of those who had suffered by the acts of the Vermont government, and requiring the latter to make restitution to the New York partisans who had been banished and whose property had been confiscated by the Vermont party. The resolutions threatened to enforce compliance in case of disobedience. They were adopted and a copy sent to Gov. Chittenden. General Washington watched the situation with anxiety, and disapproved of a military invasion of Vermont. In a letter written by him to Joseph Jones, member of
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Congress from Virginia, dated at his Army Headquarters at Newburg, N. Y. February 11, 1783, Washington said, speaking of Vermont, "The country is very mountainous, full of defiles, and extremely strong. The inhabitants, for the most part, are a hardy race, composed of that kind of people who are best calculated for soldiers; in truth, who are soldiers; for many, many hundreds of them are deserters from this army, who, having acquired property there, would be desperate in the defense of it, well knowing that they were fighting with halters about their necks."
The spring of 1783 saw the opposition to the Vermont Government waning, and only in Guilford was there much determination to hold out against the new state longer, and in this town while the Yorkers were in the majority, yet so many of the strong and able citizens had accepted the views of the Vermonters that the parties were more nearly equal than they had hitherto been. They had heretofore met together in town meeting, and had chosen men from both factions in making up their list of town officers. Now the two groups met sep- arately, the first to convene being the Vermont party, which met at the White Meeting House, and its record of proceedings is as follows:
Guilford, Munday ye 31st of March, Anno Domini 1783.
The Freemen of the Town of Guilford met at the Meeting House in sd. town for the choice of Town Officers and Petit Jurymen accord- ing to law, and proceeded in the following manner, Viz.
Istly, Made choice of William Bullock, Esqr. Moderator.
2dly, Samuel Shepardson, Town Clerk.
3dly, Dn. Thomas Cutler, Mr. William Smalley and Mr. Joseph Densmore, Selectmen.
4thly, Capt. Lovell Bullock, Treasurer.
5thly, Mr. Nicholas Pullen & James Cutler, Constables.
6thly, Mr. Matthew Pullen, Edward Barney, John Rickey & Jonas Nichols, Listers.
7thly, Mr. Paul Chase & Benjamin Dean, Collectors.
8thly, Capt. David Stowell, Leather sealer.
9thly, Major Simeon Edwards & Mr. Ephraim Nichols, Grand Jurors. 10thly, Mr. Caleb Carpenter & Mr. Abel Joy, Tytheingmen.
11thly, Mr. Daniel Stowell & Mr. Jonas Nichols, Haywards.
12thly, Mr. Benjamin Buckland, Brander of Horses.
13thly, Capt. David Stowell, Sealer of Wts. & Measures.
14thly, Maj. Simeon Edwards, Caleb Carpenter, Paul Chase, Ephraim Nichols, Peter Briggs, Abel Joy, David Smalley, Jedediah Well- man, Stephen Gould, David Dennison, Surveyors of Highways. 15thly, Lieut. John Noyes, Joseph Goodwin, Ensn. Edward Barney,
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Capt. Stephen Shepardson, Lieut. Morey Fisk, James Cutler, Lieut. William Marsh and Joseph Bullock, Tytheingmen. 16thly, Voted that this meeting stand adjourned to the 3d Monday in April next at this place, at two of the clock P.M. on sd. day.
A true record; Attest Samuel Shepardson, T. Clerk
Why the meeting should have been adjourned does not appear, but judging from the action taken at the adjourned session it would seem that some suspicion arose concerning either the fidelity or qualifications of the second constable, James Cutler.
The record shows the following :-
Guilford, Munday ye 21st of April, 1783.
The Freemen of the Town of Guilford met according to Adjournment and proceeded to act in the following manner, Viz;
Istly, Voted that the Selectmen be a Committee for laying out high- ways.
2dly, That the 2d Constable be dismissed.
3dly, That Lieut. John Rickey serve as Second Constable for the Town of Guilford.
4thly, That the present meeting be, and hereby is dissolved.
After the adjournment of the meeting called by the Vermonters, a meeting was immediately warned by the Yorkers, to be held on the 29th. This was probably held at the Stowell tavern, although the records are silent as to the place. It may be safely assumed that all the officers chosen were of the New York element. The record preserved is as follows:
April ye 29th, 1783.
Then the freeholders and other inhabitants of the Destrict of Guil- ford, in the County of Cumberland and State of New York meet to- gether and by a majority of votes and made choise of
Edward Carpenter, Moderator.
2d. Saml. Bixby, Town Clerk.
3d. Adonijah Putnam, Supervisor.
4th. Hezekiah Stowell, Treasurer.
5th. Wm. White, Saml. Stafford, Collectors. 6th.
7th. Hezehiah Stowell, Abraham Avery, Aseph Carpenter, Assessors. 8th. Wm. White, Saml. Stafford, Constables.
9th. Edward Carpenter, Micah Rice, Ichabod Packer, Comitioners for laying out highways.
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10th. David Colver, Hezekiah Broad, Micah Rice, Jotham Biglo, Newhall Earle, Nathan Stark, James Packer, Nathan Avery, David Thurber, Seth Clark, Overseers of the highways.
11th. Jotham Biglo, Ichabod Packer, Saml. Melody, Overseers of the Poor.
12th. Jotham Biglo, Elijah Worworth, Hezekiah Stowell, Field Driv- ers.
13th. Wm. White, Saml. Melody, Asa Rice, James Packer, Joseph Olden, Fence Viewers.
14th. Zephaniah Shepardson, Asa Stowell, Ephraim Gale, Daniel Har- renton, Swine Constables.
15th. This meeting adjourned to the annual meeting in May.
Pr. Saml. Bixby, Town Clerk.
A Freemen's meeting was called by the Vermonters for September 2d, the record of which is hereby given.
Guilford Tuesday ye 2d of September, 1783.
The Freemen of the Town of Guilford met according to Law for the election of Representatives, Govr., Dept. Govr., & c. according to an Act of Assembly regulating the same, proceeded as follows:
Made choice of Benjamin Carpenter, Esqr. & Dn. Thomas Cutler to represent this town in General Assembly.
2d. Gave in their votes for Governor, Dept. Govr. and Treasurer. 3dly. Gave in their votes for Councillors according to law.
A true record; Attest Samuel Shepardson, T. Clerk.
The adherents to New York, residing in Guilford and its vicinity were not disposed to submit to Vermont, notwithstanding the provi- sions of the Act of the Vermont Assembly of Feb. 25th, 1783, which offered pardon to all those who had committed offenses against the authority of the new state, but encouraged by advice of Governor Clinton, of New York, on June 24, 1783, and by the resolution of Congress passed upon the 5th of December, 1782, they openly declared their intention to resist all Vermont officers who might attempt to levy upon their persons or property. The feeling between the factions became so intense that many neglected their pursuits, neighbors sus- pected each other, peace was at an end and a crisis seemed imminent. With two sets of town officers, each claiming authority, and their partisans indiscriminately intermingled throughout the township, a condition bordering upon anarchy resulted. Arms were openly carried, both for offense and defense. Houses were divided against each other.
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People traveled in groups for mutual protection. Physicians were re- quired to procure passes from the committees of safety in order to visit the sick unmolested. Communications were transmitted to and from Governor Chittenden and Governor Clinton as well. Printed handbills, intended to inflame and arouse the indifferent, were distributed every- where.
The Vermont legislature convened in October and the first busi- ness attended to was the Guilford exigency. The Assembly Journal of October 11th, shows in the arrangements of business for the session the following: :
3d. That some effectual measures be taken to quiet the present Dis- order in the Southern part of Windham County.
6th .: That the Militia be put under proper regulations for the Defense of this State.
On October 15th it was Resolved that His Excellency and the Honorable Council be requested to join this House in Grand Com- mittee upon the Business of quieting the Disorders prevailing in the Southern part of Windham County. The Grand Committee met on the same day and adjourned to Oct. 22d when they reported that to enable the Civil Authority to exercise their Offices in the southern part of Windham County, and to suppress an Insurrection in the said County, a military force be forthwith raised to assist the said Civil Authority, for the term of six months, unless sooner discharged. That it consist of one hundred men, well officered and equipped for War. That Colonel Benjamin Wait be appointed to command said men. That their pay be as follows per month.
Col. Wait £ 20. Serjeant, £3.10s.
Major, £ 13. Corporal, drum and fife, £3.5s.
Captain, £ 10.
Soldier, £ 3.
Lieutenant, £ 7.
That the pay of the Commissioned officers commence from the time of their receiving Orders, that the non-commissioned Officers and Privates, from the time of their enlistment. That General Fletcher be requested to order his Brigade to hold themselves in readiness to assist in the said service.
That General Fletcher, with the advice of the Officers commanding said Troops, augment or dismiss said Troops as Circumstances may require.
That the Troops furnish themselves with arms.
That the Commissary General be requested to furnish the troops with ammunition, provision, and a necessary allowance of spirituous Liquors.
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That one company of said troops be from Col. Wait's Regiment and the other Company from Col. Bradley's Regiment, and that the Officer commanding said Troops appoint the other officers.
The report provided for the drafting of a bill to cover the recom- mendations of the report, including conciliatory section providing for pardons and immunity for those who submitted without resistance. A bill in accordance with the recommendations of the report was at once drawn and passed by the Assembly as follows :-
An Act for the purpose of raising one hundred able, effective men to assist the civil authority in carrying into execution the law in the southern part of Windham County.
"Whereas a number of persons living in the southern part of the County of Windham, to the great disturbance of the peace, have banded together to oppose sheriffs, constables and collectors, in the ex- ecution of their offices and in many instances proceeded to outrageous abuses which threaten the ruin of government, unless speedily reme- died, which evil to prevent,
Be it enacted, etc., that there be immediately raised one hundred able effective men and stationed in the southerly part of the county of Windham, under the command of Colonel Benjamin Wait, to assist the officers of government in carrying into execution the laws of the state.
That said men be officered with one colonel and one major, and be divided into two companies, to consist each of one captain, one lieu- tenant and one ensign, four sergeants, four corporals, one drummer, one fifer and fifty rank and file."
The Guilford Yorkers conceived the idea of taking their eminent fellow-townsman, Benjamin Carpenter, into capitvity, although their object, unless to humiliate this able and prominent Vermonter, is not very clear, but whatever their motive, they assembled on the first day of December, 1783, to the number of seventy or more, armed with weapons both offensive and dangerous. Among the most noted of the party were Abraham Avery, Cyril Carpenter, Nathaniel Carpenter, James Davison, Hezekiah Broad, Henry Evans, Henry Evans, Jr., Adonijah Putnam, Joshua Nurse, Jotham Bigelow, Newhall Earl, Joseph Peck, Daniel Ashcraft, Joseph Shepardson and David Good- enough, all of Guilford and Charles Phelps of Marlborough and Eleazer Church of Brattleboro.
They were successful in capturing the Colonel, and took him away, "to his great damage," although wherein he was damaged, except in spirit, or where he was taken or how long detained, we are not in- formed. On the same day, December 1, deputy sheriff Barzillai Rice undertook to seize Francis Prouty, of Brattleboro, for complicity in the
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abduction of Luke Knowlton, a Vermonter, on Nov. 16th previous, when Prouty, in company with Thomas Whipple and Jonathan Dunkley of Brattleboro, and John and Darius Wheeler of Newfane armed with "clubs, guns, swords, pistols and bayonets", assaulted the house of Knowlton about two o'clock in the morning, made a forcible entrance, took Knowlton prisoner and conveyed him across the state line into Massachusetts, where they left him.
As soon as this became known, Brig .- Gen. Fletcher ordered the militia to assemble, and more than one hundred men of the regiments of Col. Bradley and Col. John Sergeant promptly reported for duty, but Knowlton soon returned and the Yorkers having dispersed, pre- vented an engagement with the Vermont forces which might have been very serious to both sides.
Thomas Whipple and John Wheeler were soon arrested, charged with assault, admitted the abduction, and were each held in bonds to the amount of £ 100. Darius Wheeler was also taken but secured bail and no account appears of his examination. But when the deputy, Rice, approached the house he was met by Prouty, who informed the officer that he "would be the death of him" if he did not desist. Prouty, the leader of the abductors, was in company with five of his neighbors who were armed with guns and pitchforks. Rice decided that he did not care to press the matter at that time and retired without his expected prisoner.
By way of retaliation the Vermonters again resumed offensive operations and William Shattuck was arrested on Dec. 25th by Con- stable Oliver Waters of Brattleboro and was taken to Westminster for examination, thence carried to Bennington jail, where he was com- mitted without bail and in irons on Jan. 3d, 1784. On the same day a warrant was issued for the re-arrest of Charles Phelps, who was taken upon the the next day and imprisoned in Westminster jail.
Much alarmed at the determined manner which the Vermont officers exhibited in treating their opponents, a meeting of the Yorkers was held in Brattleborough on January 6th, where a petition was drawn, addressed to the authorities of the State, rehearsing the un- fortunate situation, asking for the release of Shattuck and Phelps sus- pension of arrest for offenses of a like nature, and for the restraining of the troops raised until the next session of the Assembly.
Governor Chittenden replied to the effect that nothing short of universal submission would pervent the march of Col. Wait's troops. Prouty eluded capture until the 8th of January, when he was taken at his house and removed to prison. Seth Clark, a sergeant under the appointment of New York, was also taken and imprisoned.
For the purpose of teaching the Guilford men a lesson, on the following night a large party of Vermonters went to the house of
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Captain Joseph Peck, where Carlton Nash now lives. Five men, well armed, went into the house leaving a large force on the outside, to be ready if needed, but Captain Peck was not to be found, and Mrs. Peck would not disclose his whereabouts. Chagrined with their failure to find the Captain they plundered the house, carried off his sword and such other weapons as were to be found.
Continuing their depredations they then repaired to the house of Henry Evans, which they reached about one o'clock in the morning of the 9th. They forced their way into the house, but as at Capt. Peck's, they failed to find the object of their search and his wife would give them no information. With a tinder box and candle, carried by one of the marauders, they obtained light by the aid of which they searched the house, and appropriated a gun, a sword and a quantity of ammunition. They next visited the house of Mary Carpenter, but finding neither men nor arms, they proceeded to the dwelling of Hezekiah Broad, who, like Peck and Evans, failed to materialize, and his wife was also ignorant concerning his present location. The party continued its nefarious occupation until daylight, its members possess- ing themselves of a considerable number of "old blunderbusses, rusty swords, curiously carved powder horns, pursy bullet bags, and long, snakelike shot pouches."
On January 10th, Col. Stephen R. Bradley, no doubt regarding the method of operation of the Vermont marauders as undignified and inadvisable, addressed a letter to the Yorkers, offering to suspend all prosecutions, except as to those already arrested and those under banishment, if the Yorkers would give their parole not to do anything prejudicial to the State of Vermont, the truce to continue until the rising of the next General Assembly.
The Yorkers refused to accept the conditions. A portion of the Vermont militia was quartered at Brattleborough, the officers, Com .- Gen. Joseph Farnsworth, Major Josiah Boyden, Ensign Oliver Waters and Lieutenant Experience Fisk, being quartered at the inn of Josiah Arms, where the Retreat farm house is now located.
Knowing of this, the Yorkers decided to make a descent upon the tavern and capture some or all of the officers, so, with this design they asembled a large party, including William White, Daniel Ash- craft, Joseph Shepardson, Jr., Nathaniel Shepardson, Noah Shepard- son, Samuel Melendy, Hezekiah Broad, Samuel Curtis, Moses Yaw, Daniel Cole, Artemus Goodenough, Ithamar Goodenough and Jotham Bigelow, all of Guilford, and Richard Church and Isaac Kendall of Brattleborough and a number of others. Nathaniel Carpenter, of Guil- ford, commanded the expedition which reached the inn at about twelve o'clock at night on January 16th and at once surrounded the house and fired a volley of musket balls through the doors and win-
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dows, wounding one or two travellers, who were passing the night there. General Farnsworth attempted to remonstrate with the mob upon the rash and dangerous conduct, but they refused to listen to him and demanded the immediate surrender of Constable Waters, whom they especially desired. After firing about thirty balls into the house and shooting a traveller through the thigh, also wounding Major Boyden in the leg, they made a concerted dash, entered the house and captured Waters with whom they started for Massachusetts, where he was put in irons and turned over to two guards who were instructed to take him to Governor Clinton at Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
The party having Waters in charge passed through Guilford by way of the White Meeting House and Packer's Corners, passing the residence of Lieut. John Noyes, a Vermont sympathizer, who, learning the situation, at once departed for Halifax where the news caused great excitement, and a company of fifteen men, commanded by Joseph Tucker, all mounted and armed, started in pursuit. They knew the route which the Yorkers had taken and followed rapidly, over- taking Waters and his guards at Northampton on the 18th.
They immediately secured the guards and released Waters. Tucker and his party, much elated with their success, resolved to add to their laurels by capturing Timothy Phelps, who was then with his brother, Charles, who then resided in Hadley, and by escorting Phelps back to Vermont in the same manner in which the Yorkers took Waters to Massachusetts, the tables would be effectively turned. They waited until after nightfall, then entered Hadley quietly, approached the house where Timothy Phelps was lodged, and asked to be admitted. Charles Phelps sprung from his bed and seized his arms, but Tucker's men broke in before he could reach the door.
A severe struggle ensued, in which Phelps was overpowered and forced to the floor. Mrs. Phelps then appeared, also Timothy Phelps, when the raiders perceived their mistakes and allowed Charles to rise, they seized Timothy and departed with the intention of taking him once more to Bennington jail, but as soon as Tucker and his men had gone, Charles Phelps ran to the house of Elisha Porter, then Sheriff of Hampshire County, and informed him of the capture and seizure of his brother Timothy. Warrants were issued at once, local militiamen called out, a posse collected, and the whole party, thirty strong, mounted and armed, started in hot pursuit of the Vermonters. When they reached Hatfield, they learned that Waters' party had been met there by reinforcements of twelve of the Vermont state troops, and that all had departed with all the speed at their command. Determined to overtake them, the pursuing party pressed on, without drawing rein, until eight o'clock in the morning, when Tucker and his men were overhauled at Bloody Brook, in Old Deerfield, where they had
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dismounted for a short rest. Entering the room at the inn where they were at breakfast, the sheriff shouted, "Where are those damned Vermonters?" and giving them no time to rally, the Hampshire men attacked them vigorously. The Vermonters resisted with spirit, being ignorant of the authority of the sheriff and his party, and the affray was becoming decidedly lively when the sheriff made known his offi- cial character, and declared his opponents to be his prisoners. Waters and his party thereupon submitted to the authority of the officer and were taken back to Hadley, where they were tried before three justices, and four of them were fined £ 21. 8s., including costs. Tucker having made a full explanation of the affair to the sheriff, the latter forgave the Vermonters, called them "good fellows," and promised them his assistance in preventing their fellow citizens from being carried through that vicinity by the Yorkers. The members of the Halifax party were Joseph Tucker, Thomas Scott, Stephen Gates, Timothy Woodward, David Williams, Elijah Phillips, Gorham Noyes, Joel Sumner, Philemon Stacy, Daniel Walworth, Rufus Fisk, Samuel Den- nison, Caleb Owen, Thomas Farnsworth, Nathaniel Whitney, John Noyes.
The Last Invasion: Conditions such as now prevailed could not long endure. Both factions were obstinate, determined, unreasonable. On Jan. 16th, Col. Church and Major Evans wrote Governor Clinton imploring him to institute measures which would relieve them from the oppressions of the Vermonters. They informed him that they were obliged to be under arms day and night and sent him a list of those who had been imprisoned. They reported to him that an army of four or five hundred Vermonters were already stationed in separate divi- sions in Brattleboro, Marlborough and Halifax, ready to kill, burn, and destroy all before them, which had indeed been rumored abroad by the frightened people, who only slightly exaggerated and briefly anticipated the actual conditions.
The attack on the inn at Brattleborough, and the seizure of Waters convinced them that they must subdue the Yorkers by military force, and that immediately. Colonel Wait and Bradley were at once notified, and instructed to rally their companies and proceed to the seat of war at Guilford. On Saturday, January 17th, 1784, the day following these orders, the troops began mobilizing at Brattleborough, at the inn of Josiah Arms, the usual rendezvous. Reinforcements continued to arrive during the following day and the quiet of the Sabbath was broken by the martial melody of fife and drum, and the activity incident upon hurried military preparations. The places of worship were deserted, and notwithstanding the sharp air and tingling frost presaging the advent of a midwinter snowstorm, all the villagers who were able to turned out to inspect the preparations, and to speak a last farewell to
BROAD BROOK HOUSE-1875
لا أودفى
GUILFORD CENTER-1885
GREEN RIVER-ABOUT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY
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their friends among the troops who were about to invade the strong- hold of the desperate Guilfordites. Those who sympathized with the cause of the Vermonters opened their houses for the accommodation of the soldiers, while those of the opposition barred their doors and guarded every entrance to their dwellings with armed vigilance and watchful determination.
All were busy in moulding bullets, preparing firearms, burnishing buckles and bayonets, hunting up great-coats and heavy cloaks, and soaking their cow-hide boots with melted tallow to better withstand ex- posure to the deep snow during the seven mile march to the objective point,-the exact geographical center of the township of Guilford.
On the next morning, Monday, January 19th, 1784, more than three hundred men reported ready for the expedition, the principal organized bodies being as follows:
From the regiment of state troops under Colonel Benjamin Wait, Lieut. Col. Elijah Knight, Major Josiah Boyden, and Capt. Benjamin Whitney, 100 men; from the First Brigade of the Militia under Gen- eral Samuel Fletcher, and from the 1st Regiment, under Colonel Stephen R. Bradley, Major Samuel Minott, Adjut. Eliakim Spooner, Quartermaster Benjamin Burt, the following Companies; Townshend, Captain Josiah Fisk, 53 men; Westminster, Captain Silas Burk, 44 men; Putney, Lieut. Ebenezer Parker, 27 men; Rockingham, Captain John Fuller, 22 men; and from Colonel Sergeant's Regiment, also of the First Brigade; Wilmington, Captain Isaac Wheeler, 32 men; Dum- merston, Lieut. Daniel Gates, 22 men; Marlboro, Sergt. Sylvester Bishop, 15 men; and Artillery, the Dummerston Battery, Ebenezer Haven and Isaac Miller, 1 cannon, weight about 300 lbs.
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