Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1859-07-15
MONTPELIER, July Is. 1859.
WASHINGTON COUNTY CONVENTION
THE RATTLE OF HUBBARDroN
BY E. p WALTON.


teresting ceremonies, handsome marble
monument, commemorative Of our patriot
soldiers" who were in the battle, which has
been erected on the battle-ground by the
Hubbardton Battle Monument Association
The assembly was large, numbering, we Judge,
nearly five thousand people, gathered mainly
from the counties Of Rutland and Addison
and all the services were appropriate to the
occasion. The officers of the Association,
with the gentlemen who were to take part in
the public exercises, were escorted to the
battle-ground by the Allen Grcys Of Brandon,
under the direction OF Col Parker as Mar
shall, where the order of exercises, informing
led with music from the Rutland Brass Band.
and the Brandon Band, was as follows;
Reading of Scripture by Rev. Barna Allen
of Hubbardton;
Prayer by Rev. Dr. Chlds OF Castleton;
Sketch of the Battle by Henry Clark ESQ,
of Poultney
Addresses by Hon. d. E. Nicholson of
Wallingford, Col Allen of Fairhavcn, and e.
p Walton of Montpelier;
performances. nor least in interest, was rep
resentation of the battle, as perfectly as could
be done-in which performance the Allen
Greys represented the British forces, while the
Green Mountain Boys were represented by
company formed for the occasion This lat
ter company, it was said, was commanded by
u gentleman who happened to be born on the
other side of the Atlantic However this
may be, he certainly entered into this affair
with all the spirit Of Vermonter-born, not
made. To us, very interesting part of the
occasion was the meeting of several of the
descendants Of Vormonters personally cngag-
ed in the battle, and among them Mr.. Church
i'll, now ninety years Of age, who was lad of
eight years at the time of the battle We
also heard of benjamin Hickok, now living
in Benson, who was taken prisoner at the
time His presence was expected, hut his
great age prevented him from the exposure of
tho day, and Of the necessary journey As
probably the very last surviving sufferer in that
day, he was honorably remembered We
ought to add that Mr. Churchill is one of the
chief contributors to the monument, and in
response to a toast in his honor, we forgot
to include the toasts in the programme, he re-
lated some of his early recollections Of the
battlefield. 1t was an occasion never to re-
cur again. 1t was an occasion well honored
also, and it will doubtless be remembered with
pleasure, perhaps not unmngled with pride,
by thousands 1t will be worth ones re-
Numbering, and worth telling to his children
as they read the history of Vermont, that he
on that day and in that way honored the heroes,
the patriots, and the martyrs, who, on the
18th of July, l777, gained those lofty titles on
the field of Hubbardton.
The battle-ground is one of the thousand
beautiful spots to be found among the hills
of Vermont; and it deserves rank among the
very beautiful spots, even of Vermont scene
ry. 1t is upon the highlands of East Hub
bardton-the battle-ground itself hill, lying
beneath and east Of striking promontorl
called Mount Zion. East of the ground is
riyuet, and then comes the mountain range
over which, and through the forest, Warner
and his men retroated on their way to Man
chester. and successfully defed pursuit
Down the valley of the rvulet was the ole
military road to Castleton, by which st, Cai
retreated with his army and the whole scon'
-embracing the battle-gI ound, this Lowell,
valley and the grand mountains-is richl,
worth visit, counting nothing even thu
historic membranes a visit would provoke
With the diagram of the field, in Thomp
sons Vermont, one will readily recognize tn
spots where the contonding forces met; ant
from the neighbors the traditions of the faith
ers can be gathered, enlivened with relic
from the field. Let the Green Mountain
Boys of this generation make at least on
visit to the battle-ground of Hubbardton.
And now few words as to the battle
We have a suspicion that its importance i
not sufficiently estimated at this day,-tha
even Vermonters do not justly appreciate tn
honor that is due, nor fully measure the glor
that is due, to Warner and his Green Noun
tain Boys We often think of and speak o.
and often glorify, the audacious capture Of Ii
conderoga by Allen and Crown Point b
Warner, and the brilliant victory of Benning
ton-for these are far more agreeable Incl
dents in our history, and have. given us a nam
to live, wherever and long as history sha
be read. Let us then refresh the memory
the reader with an account Of the battle
Hubbardton. On the early morning of Jul
g., l777, Gen. St. Clair evacuated Forts T
conderoga and Independence, and he marche
10 Hubbardton on that day. Here he place
Warner in command Of the rear-guard, wit
instructions to wait for those who were lal
gng behind, and to encamp mile and ha
in the rear of the army st. Clair then marcel
ed on, but instead Of hating mile and ha
in advance of Warmers post at Hubbardtol
or ascertaining whether the remnant of II
army had come up, SO that Warner could az
vance, the General never halted until h
reached Castletos, six miles ahead of Wa
ner The latter encamped at Hubbardto
with thousand mon; many Of them doub