Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-08-14

iu'c'y oc III want OF meat klnd except the
country exert themselves-if 40 or so h ,ad
OF cattle could be brought on with the mil.
tia they will be paid for by the commissary
on their arrival,
The safety OF that post consists much on
the exertion of the country, them lines are
so much in want Of men. should be Glad
that few hills OF corn unhoed should not be
motive sufficient to detan men al home
considering the loss of such an important
Post can hardly be recovered.
am Gentlemen in the greatest respect
your most obedient and very humble SER
want, SETH WARNER.
L. ), | am this moment agoing 20 mount
my horse in company with Colo, Bellows for
Tconderoga.
| left Colo Robinson at Hubbhrdton this
morning.
That YOU may have wisdom to conduct in
the business for which you are called to-
gether IS the PRAYER OF S.W.
81. Clair, for several days aud nights
scarcely undressing or sleeping-every-
where present early and late directing
and cheering his army-is appalled, Sat
urday morning, July 9th, by seeing lie.
gian ofred coats on the summit of Sugar
Hill or Fort Defiance, less than mile
south OF III. and Mt. Ind. One day
more, and battery would be there play
ing upon his works, and he entirely
surrounded, except about half a mile
south Of Mt. Ind, between the Lake and
Fast Greek. Without authority from
Congress or Schuyler to abandon the
place, he calls Council of War, consist.
ing of Major Gen. St. Clair, Brig. Gen.
John Patterson, Enoch Poor and De Roche
FermOy and Col. Commandant Pierre
Long. Although reinforced that day by
Warner and 900 N. H. and Vt. Militia,
there was no probability that they could
long defend the Forts. There was no
prospect of relief from Schuyler, who was
at Fort Edward, with only 5000 men,
almost destitute of powder, lead and pro-
visions. One day more would cut off
their only avenue for escape. About 3
o'clock ?. nj. they decide unanimously to
evacuate the forts that might've o'clock
A. NJ being the time appointed for their
departure; the two Massachusetts, regi-
ments, meanwhile, clamorous to 90 home,
alleging that their time would expire in
two days. But how could $500 men,
with their sick and all their stores, retreat
from inside of large and sanguine army
in a short, moonlight, July night, with
scarcely seven hours of nominal dark
ness, without being heard, by wake
full British sentry, or seen by sleepless
Indian eyes i?
The officers were to make all possible
preparations, without disclosing to their
men, the intention to retreat.
St. Clair, at o'clock in the evening,
sends his aid, Maj. Dunn, to order Gen.
Fermoy, commanding at Fort Ind, to
land all the stores into the hatteau on the
east side of the Mt. Crossing over from III
to the Mt. after midnight, St. Clair finds
General and army sound asleep, and sends
Col. Baldwin to awake the sleepyFrench
| General.
Soon after Maj. Dunn finds 800 or 400
men carrying down stores and loading the
boats, "but, for want of proper orders and
attention from Gen. Fermoy, everything
appears in the greatest confusion"
At midnight young Wilkinson, after
wards Brig. General, delivers the orders,
to strike the tents at Tt, Gen. Poor super
intending with vigilance and energy. At
2 o'clock, A. NJ, St. Clair leaves I'll, all
the stores, except the heaviest cannon,
having been removed from that side of
the lake, and the troops begin crossing
the bridge, over to the Vermont side.
The wind had been blowing all night,
raging so fercely the boats had been al
most unmanageable and unservicable,
thereby preventing the departure at the
appointed time, but every light from fire
and candle had been extinguished, the
sentinels challenged no persons within the
works, the trunnions were not knocked
off the cannon for fear of noise, and every
thing had been managed so noiselessly,
and the enemy had been so unalert, that
they were as yet unobserved, although the
men at the boats, from want of sleep, the
storm on the lake, and lack of proper or
ders, were cross and in confusion.
Major Dunn testified before the court
martial on st. Glars trial that Gen. Fer
moy g set fire to his house" on Mount
Independence about three o'clock in the
morning.
The consequences of this act of-folly
worse than madness or if of crime deser.
wing of enduring infamy-were soon ap.
parent. The flames, fed by the furious
wind, rise high and cast strong light
along the sides of the mountain and ovel
the Lake, revealing at last to the enemy
large share of the American forces still
in sight, hurrying across the bridge and
down the hill in disorder and confusion.
Col. long and bis regiment with five
armed gallies and seventy batteaux load
, ed with stores and invalids, leaves the
mountain before the dawn, sailing up the
Swallowed Lake toward Skeensborouph in