Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1843-11-10

ment, and was thereby enabled to capture LORD
Cornwallis's army A. d. 1871. Strange as it may
appear, the Commanding General of the American
army, through his Commissioner and General Lin
coin, consulted with the Cabinet Council OF the
Green Mountain Boys at the period alluded to-
Yet it is fact now not to be denied. ] am fully
justified when say this important negotiation, be-
tween the Commanding General and the Cabinet
Council of this State, was not made kwnon to the
Governors or Assemblies of the N. England States
or New York, nor the commanding officers of the
northern or eastern departments, or to Congress.
This negotiation was pending when the Com
handing General was officially informed by dis
tinguished public officers in the eastern department
that Concord and Charlestown, New Hampshire
must. under certain contingencies be made the
northern line of defence and officially informed
by commanding officers in the northern depart
ment that they mast be reinforced, otherwise Alba
ny and Schenectady must be made the northern
line of defence. At the time the Cabinet of
this State, on the floor of the Continental Congress-
were denounced as rebellious insurgents, pirates
upon the rights of community, and traitors to the
American cause.
After arranging the papers discovered, visited
the State department at Concord, New Hampshire,
Boston, Massachusetts, Hartford Connecticut, and
the State Department, Washington. At these sew
eral departments the manuscript papers are bound
in volumes, each volume with an index. | select
ed documents at each department, such MS in my
opinion had bearing for or against the claim
which we then had against the Colonies, and now
have against the General Government; also such
documents and correspondence as went directly to
show the part the New Hampshire Grants took in
the Revolutionary War; also such documents as
went to show that the New Hampshire Grants
not subject to the jurisdiction of New York, New
Hampshire or Massachusetts,; and such documents
as go conclusively to show that this Commonwea
was never fairly granted by his Majesty and Coun-
Gil" That we received our Charter from HEAv
EN-, and not from man or the lciU of man.
have forwarded all documents put forth on the
part Of this State, from time to time, approved Of
by the Governor and Council, and ordered to be
published to the world, to the right of urisdic
ton and independence of this State. Also all such
documents put forth the part of New Hamp-
shire, New York and Massachusetts as to iurisdic-
ton and claim on the New Hampshire GRANTS
Also the first printed Journals of the Continental
Congress, from Sept. A. d. IVA to 1778. Also
Marshal's life of Washington, Madison's papers,
Gov. Morris, John Jay, james Duane, Richard
Henry Lee, History of New York, History of Try
on County, Memoirs of General VIM. Heath, Gen.
James Wilkinson, Gen. John Starke, Trial of Gen.
Philip Schuyler for evacuating Tconderoga, Gen
eral Burgoyne's documents laid before the British
Parliament, Reidsels Letters Amburys Travels
Ia British officer in America,) Grahams History of
Vermont, Gen. Aliens Hisorty of Vermont, and a
series of pamphlets published by said Gen. Allen
at Philadelphia, and journals of the Provincial Con-
York. These interesting documents all need
ed in order to sustain certain points connected
with the part the New Hampshire Grants took in
the Revolutionary War, and thereby will better en-
able us to sustain our claim, in connection with the
documents relating to expenditures in our Statc
Department.
These several documents are herewith transmit
ted to your Exceency for consideration. I have
no hesitancy in expressing it as my decided opinion
| that the documents herewith transmitted exhibit
on the part of this State account of the eXpen-
| ditures during the Revolutionary War; five hun
dred thousand dollars, exclusive of interest and
| value of property destroyed by the enemy. A
large proportion of this expenditure was OCCASION
ed by request on the part of the Continental Con-
gress, or by request of commanding officers in the
northern department, with assurance of pay
ment. These requests were made by the Cabinet
of New Hampshire Grants, a sovereign and in
dependent community. Numerous are the instan-
ces in which the Continental Congress- or officers
by them appointed, requested troops to be raised
to protect the frontier inhabitants in the northern
department, meaning Albany, Ticonderoga, Crown
Point and its dependencies in New York. Request
was made by the cOmmssary of the northern de-
partnent, to the General Assembly of this State,
to buy provisions in this State for the Continental
Troops in the northern department. Application
was made by the commanding General of the north
ern department. to the Cabinet of this State to
rest deserters from the Continental army. Appli-
cation was also made by the commissary of pro-
visions in the eastern department. for liberty to pass
through this State to Canada, for the purpose of
gotiatng exchange of prisoners as well as many
other requests of similar nature, all of which
were promptly granted on the part of this State
The Cabinet of this State, at several times, during
the war, made application to the commanding Off
GERS in the northern department, for troops to aid
in garrisoning our frontier posts, and were denied
We applied on certain occasion, to buy, or Dor
tau harra nf hoaf and go The
commissary of the northern department. We were
denied on the ground that he had no authority tC
furnish troops except those of the thirteen Ameri
can colonies. We applied to the commissary Of
prisoners in the northern department to borrow one
of the British prisoners Jas we had previous to Thu
furnished one thousand one hundred and ffteer
British prisoners for the colonies Yin order to compe
: an exchange of prisoners with the British comman
e der in Canada, but were refused upon the groun
: that we did not belong to the Union. We wer
therefore left to negotiate with Gen. Haldmand 70
the release parole of such prisoners as belonge
= to Warmers regiment, and to this State, includin!
the east and west union
Y In July, A. ID. 1880, we communicated to tn
: President of the Continental Congress PROPOSE
G ton to form solid union for the defence of the
= mercan Colonies against their enemies. We also
n on the 18th of December, A. d. 1880, wrote to tn
e Governors of the several New England States, a
well as to the Governor of N. York. making the
It proposition; but never received an answer fror
: either. know Of no law on the part of Congress
granting any pensions or remunerations, for Revo
h lutionary services done performed by ctize
of this State in the militia of the State, during tn
g Revolutionary War, previous to the law, A. l
e 1S42. BY the exertons of distinguished dele
1t gate then in Congress, from this State, amend
r ment was proposed, whereby the Revolutionary ser
e vices of the Green Mountain Boys, was for tn
y first time acknowledged by Congress. The numer
Y Gus officers and soldiers of the Vermont troops
e who so faithfully served during the war, never re
ceived one of land, one dollar ofbounty money
ID nor wages from the thirteen American Colonies
lie Yet, sir the documents herewith submitted, wi
al convince you that troops took from the enem
ID property to the amount of three hundred thousan
dollars which was generously turned into the CON