The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1858-09-08

heA Afiilt"i NibS'C III cl
The old Militia System, under which all
the cable bodied men," between certain
ages we're warned to appear, armed and
equipped as the law directs" had long
since fallen into-disrepute aud become EN-
phatically extinct. For ten or fifteen years
10 military germ capable of being galvan-
lied into life has seemed to exist in the
State. But this was not so. The bones
of ETHAN ALLEN are supposed to be in her
soil, and while they are there and the
sword is not beaten into pruning.hook,
the military spirit will still exist.
Under the encouraging legislation of
recent date, goodly number of infantry
companies have within year sprung into
existence in various parts of the State. A
few weeks ago, His Excellency, Coy.
Fletcher, through modest circular, in
timated his willingness to inspect and re-
view such Of these as might be disposed to
meet him at Brandon, on the LIST and End
inst. This intimation WAS responded to
BY the following companies to wit:
The Woodstock Light Infantry, Capt. P.
T. Washburne, the Green Mountain Ran.
gers, Granville, Capt j. B. Richardson,
tbs Allen Greys, Brandon, Capt, j. Bush,
the Howard Guard, Burlington, Lieut..
Commanding E. Lyman, the Middlebury
Light Guards, Capt. E. S. Hayward, the
Swanton Guards, Capt G NJ Hall, the
Ransom Guards, ST. Adams, Capt. 7. /.
House, the Green Mountain Guards Bel
lows Falls, Capt. S. G. Haskins and the
Cavendish Light Infantry, Ia company,
just organized and not appearing in parade)
Capt John F. Deane. These companies
formed the Command, Regiment, or Bat
talon of the occasion, and finer set Of
men never shouldered muskets,
The invited guests, present, in Brandon,
from without the State, were Gen. Eben-
ezer W. Stone, Adjutent General of Mas
sachusetts, and Colonel Robert Cowdin, of
the I'd Regiment Massachusetts VoliM-
teers, with his Staff, consisting of Charles
Amory, Jr,, Adiutant. Sam'l Hammond,
Quarter Master, Henry Soyles, Paymas-
ter, and ]. T. Hurd surgeon,--forming,
we venture to say, officers and staff, the
flower of the Militia of Massachusetts,-
soldiers in the true import of the word.
His Excellency, Gov. Fletcher, had al.
ready arrived in Brandon, accompanied
by the chief of his Staff Adj, Gen. Kel.
logg, and was quartered at the hospitabe
mansion of the Hon E. n. Briggs
was afterwards Joined by the Quarter
Master General, G. f. Davis, of Cavern
dish, and the Judge Advocate General,
A. G. Allen, of Rochester
Gov. Fletcher, with the military cour.
tesy with which he is so familiar. warmly
invited Adj. Gen, Stone, to take command
of the troops, during the two days Muster
as Colonel Commauding,--a post which
the General courteously accepted.
Gen, Stone proceeded to the perform
ance Of his duty, like the admirable disci-
plinarian, he is acknowledged to be, and
instructed the combined companies flor
the force was nothing more) in battalion
aud regimental drill, during the day. Tao
flag of the Howard Guards was selected
as the Regimental colors, protected by a
detachment of the Bellows Falls Guards,
whose Band was also detailed for Rcg;.
mental service for the day.-No officer
ever had more attentive or more dOcie
soldiery, and when the parade was dis
missed, at nearly shutdown, very marked
improvement had resulted from his patient
labors, as he himself encouragingly as.
sured them.
In the evening was grand civic anC
military display iu commemoration Of thu
completion of the Telegraph Enterprise
This was by a magnificent Torch Ligh
Procession, composed of several Bands o
Music, the Military and citizens who
trayersed the streets and finally halted il
front of the stand erected for the speak
ers. The whole vicinity was in blaze Of
illumination from every appliance tha
! could give effect