Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1848-08-03
Whole Number 429.
REVOLUTIONARY TROPHIES.


Mr., COLLAMER, by leave, introduced
the following join, resolution:
ResolUtd, sc. That two brass feId.pie-
ces captured from the enemy at the battle
Of Bennington, in the State of Vermont,
in M, now in The possession of the Uni
ted States, be Immediately well mounted,
under the direction of the Secretary of
War, and delivered to the Government of
the State Of Vermont, to be hereafter hol.
den ns the property Of said State.
The resolution having been read first
and second time
Mr.. COLLAMER addressed the House
to the following effect Mr.. Speaker, a
motion has now been entertained that
when the House adlourns it will ad journ to
The 9TH instant, and this is, therefore, for
all the practical purposes of this House,
the 4lh of July. | Therefore take this as
fitting occasion TO present This resolution.
am sensible that the House has little of
time or patience to listen to subject to
them Of so little interest or importance,
and | will therefore state, as concisely as
possible, the history of the two field pieces
mentioned in the resolution, and the claim
of Vermont as to the same.
In ITS, before the declaration ofnde.
pendence, and Immediately after the COM
mencement Of hoslllties with England The
people Of Vermont then called The Ne,u
Hampshire Grants, captured the fortresses
Of Tlconderoga and Crown Point, and
therein took one hundred and thirteen pie.
ces of cannon, six Inortars, and three
howilzer3, good for service. These all
passed into the service of the United
States, and the people of Vermont have
received therefor no compensation. This
constituted the basis Of the artillery with
which the war Of the Revolution was
achieved. In l776 little but disaster at
tended the American arms. In l777
General Burgoyne entered the country,
from Canada, with his imposing army of
invasion, the best appointed and best furn-
lshed army, though not the largest ever
landed in America. He captured Ticon-
deroga, opened the whole Northern from
tiers, pushed forward to the Hudson, and
spread CONSERVATION through the country.
1t should, however, be remarked that he
had some proper appreciation OF Yer.
mont. In the published journal of his ex-
entry Of General Bnrgoyne: "The Hamp-
shire Grants, in particular, country un-
peopIcd and almost unknown in the last
war, that Is the old French mar, now
abOunds in the most active and most re-
helious race on the continent. and hangs
like gathering storm on my eft."-
There was a depot of provisions at Benn
ng,on, in Vermont, and a detachment Of
Burgoyne's army under Col. Baum was
sent to capture it, aud upon this detach-
ment this gathering storm burst like a
tornado Sir, wish it remembered that
40 United States troops were present.
II was the people of Vermont, assisted by
,ho,r N qhbnrs nf New Hampshire under
the gallant Narke, and a few bold neigh
bors from Berkshire, Massachusetts, who
overthrew this army under Baum, behind
their log breastwork, and captured over
seven hundred men, besides the killed
and dispersed; and then il was that they
took these two field pieces, Did they not
belong to that people? But sir, they were
wanted by the country. They were taxi
en- down TO the Hudson, and constituted a
part oflh artillery in The battles Of
Beams's Heights and Saratoga, which
resulted in the capture OF the whole Brit
ish army. They have been retained by
the United States ever since Sir the ex-
penses of Vermont in the Revolution have
never been settled, or dollar of them re-
paid Their efforts at Tconderoga, at
llubhardlon AT Bennington and even those
OF the last war, when Vermont rose en-
mass and went TO the rescue at PIaltsburg,
have never been adjusted or dollar paid
therefor by this nation. All | now ask
is, that you return to Vermont these two
field pieces, which you have kept seventy
years. and now, having worn out their
carriages, you have thrown them aside as
vaueless, outside your arsenal; and there.
sir, you may now see them, neglected and
corroding, but there is chiseIed on them
the precious memento that they were cap
tured a, Bennington, III. This Govern.
ment regards them Of no u0iue. May we
have them? Will you remount and re-
turn them? To US of Vermont they are
invaluable We will put them in the ves-
tibue Of our granite capitol, and they
shall be kept bright, in patriotic, fIial,
and grateful remembrance of our fathers
vaIor, Again ask, mag zoe have them?
The resolution was then read third
! 4 1 /