Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-03-31
REVOLUTIONARY SERVICES OF
VERMONT.
REPORT OF HENRY STEVENS ON REvo
LUT1ONARY CLAIMS OF VERMONT UP
ON THE UNITED STATES.


After receiving the appointment TO inves-
tigate the facts, and ascertain whether this
State has a Just claim upon the Government
of the United States, for expenses incurred
during the Revolutionary War, | examined
the journals of the Council of Safety from
the 18th of August, A. ID. 1777, to the 10Th
March, A. ID. I77S. There being no print
ed journals of the General Assembly, or Of
the Council, or acts of the Legislature, to
be found in the State department previous
to the February session, A.. ID. 1854, /
therefore examined the manuscript journals
ofthe House and Council, and acts of Assem-
bly,, where the printed documents could not
be found, up to and including the session
of the General Assembly, A. d. 1904
This being accomplished, | commenced the
examination Of the books and manuscript
papers in the State and Treasurer's depart
ments, for the purpose of ascertaining
whether the several reports of auditors,
Pay-table Committee, and reports ofcommitt-
ees on the part of the General Assembly
Commissary General, and Pay-Mast Cen
eral, could be found. ! have not been able
to find all the reports of the Pay-Table
Committee, nor the annual report of the
committee appointed from time to time to
settle with the Treasurer. No documents
can be found, connected with the Auditors
department, previous to A. ID lSOS. The
Commissary Generals and Pawn aster Gem
erals books are not yet discovered. No
records of the Surveyor General are in the
State Department. then commenced the
examination of the files in the Treasurer's
department, separating the vouchers for
military expenditures from others. Such
vouchers as contained interesting historical
facts | placed by themselves. | found the
orders drawn on the Treasurer, by proper
authority, for military services and expen-
ditures, including sums directed to be paid
by the House of Representatives, also by
the Governor and Council and Board Of
War, TO be equal to five hundred thousand
dollars, exclusive of interest and exclusive
Of property destroyed by the enemy.
Vermont being admitted into the Union
March 4th A. ID. 1871, the General Assem-
bly, of this State, Nov. Sd, A. ID. 1871,
appointed Commissioners to ascertain the
expenses Of this State in the prosecution of
the Revolutionary War. Hon Isaac Tiche-
nor, Gen. Ira Allen, and Benjamin Green,
Esq, were appointed Commissioners TO col
lect and arrange all the amount of the said
expenditures, occasioned by.the war. Gen.
Ira Allen was, appointed Secretary and
Treasurer, 9th of January, A. ID. ZIG, by
convention, and remained Treasurer until
October session, A. ID. 1856. 1t appears
from the journals of the General Assembly,
that no final settlement was made with
said Gen. Allen, until the 25th of October,
A. ID. 1892, The settlement not being
made is the probable cause of the Com
missioners on the part of this State neg
lecting to make up the amount of the
said expenditures. Therefore no accounts
for Revolutionary expenditures were pre-
scented to Congress, December, A. ID. 1892,
agreeable TO the act of Congress, passed
Odd January, A. ID. 1892, giving Vermont
a right so to do. Congress therefore found
it necessary, for the purpose Of enabling
the commissioners on the part Of the United
States to complete a settlement between
the several States and the United States,
to pass a law, February 9th, A. ID. 1893,
repeating the second section of the law
passed Odd January, A. ID. 1892, giving
Vermont a right to present her claim in De-
cember following. After thus examining
the documents and files in the State and
Treasurer's departments, also the report of
the Board of Commissioners appointed to
settle the accounts of the several States
with the United States, ! entertained serious
doubts whether, after the vouchers being
more carefully examined, the sum expended
would amount to a sum sufficient to make
Uarn,onf n craI..o. C...o III Il. .--.-
ted her claim in December, A. d. 1892.
In making this examination, | discovered
many well authenticated manuscript papers.
which go to make up the doings of the va
rious conventions Of the people, as well as
the doings of the Council of Safety, previ-
Gus TO the 18th of August, A. ID. l777, of
which we have no record in our Stale de-
partment. also discovered many copies of
letters, written in Council of Safety, TO Off
GERS commanding in the northern depart
ment, and to military officers in this State,
which led me to believe that Vermont was
entitled to the credit of performing more
and greater military operations in the north
ern department, than all the other military
operations in this department put together.
After making these various discoveries,
as far as practicable endeavored to ascertain
wherein we were deficient, in our State de-
partment, in proper and necessary docu-
ments, in order to make a complete history
of the proceedings ofthe people in this State
in their several conventions, and the pro-
ceedings of the various Councils of Safety,
previous to The 18th March, A. d. ITS;
which deficiencies were umerous,--ye
from various sources, | had good reason to
believe these could be supplied. / there
fore, after consulting with several dlstin-
guished gentlemen, as to what was best,
under existing CIRCUMSTANCES. concluded to