Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-03-05

for evil, took such care of him that ne
recovered. Lieutenant Elias Hall also
said that when they were first
attacked at Foot's, they supposed they were
about equal in number to the enemy, tnat is,
about 20 on each side, but had they known
the actual superiority of the enemy, they sho'd
not have fought. The same day the houses in
Castleton Village are visited and partially
pillaged by Indians and Tories, and many OF
the peopls commence their fight southwark.
The hiring extends and is heard SO far east
ward that the people, assembled in the after
noon in the meeting house at Center Rutland,
to hear Rev. MIR. Roots preach, are alarmed
and disperse for their homes-the country for
some days prior having been filed with the
widest reports of disaster and capture at IL
conderoga. This party of the enemy with
their prisoners retire northward 10 Obadiah
Smiths place and there captured three more
| prisoners, from whom thew learn of the APP
| proach of ST. Clair, and then change their
route, striking off east Of Pittsford mountain.
| This party is stated in Thompson's History
and by st. Elias Hail. to have been comman-
| ded by apt. Fraser, who certainly was,
| few days before, on the west side of the lake,
/ leading the attack on the American lines
Let US direct our attention to tnat American
army whose banners are now borne backward
|
numbers and bravery of those conquering he
roes, whose mastering squadrons shall soon in
triumph tramp upon the British flag at Ben
nington and Saratoga. N...
On Saturday, the 9Th Of July, Maj. Gen.
St. Clair, almost surrounded by the army OF
Burgoyne, with advice of his three Brigadiers,
| Enoch Poor. John Patterson and De Roche
Fermey, and of Col. Commandant Pierse Long,
decides to evacuate Fort III and Mt. lndepen-
dence, that night at two o'clock. To occupy
the attention of the enemy, the cannon at the
Jersey redoubt are fired every half hour,
while to prevent the preparations for departure
from being seen by the enemy, every light and
fire throughout the entire army is extinguished
the ssntnels utter no challenges-th north
east wind rises at evening, and increases in flu
ry to a perfect gale, preventing all sounds in
the American camp from being heard by the
beleag CURING hosts, but also rendering the boats
so unmanageable that at three o'clock part
of the army was still struggling across the
bridge from Ii to Mt. Independence, when the
Brigadier Gen. De Roche Fermoy, having,
been asleep part o. the time, and negligent
the residue of the time. while he should have
been experimenting the embarkation of his
troops, perperates the crowning act OF his
blunders, by setting fra to his own house, on
the northerly side of Mt. Independence, thus
revealing, by this untoward illumination con-
fused retreat of more than 1900 men, amid
storm and darkness. The hurry to escape
seemed to bahe all order: until St. Clair rode
from the rear to the front of the long extend
ing line Of march, obliged them to halt and
form line in rank and file adapted to the mar
row road they ere to follow however, his
orders were soon disobeyed, the militia wo'd
not stay hailed, but pushed on and drew after
| tbon, many of tho Continental frOons while
Col Ebenezer Francis, with his guard of 45O
picked men, brought off the rear in admirable
order Gen. Poor's brigade, constituted the
van of the retreating army, next marched the
militia between whom and Fermoy's brigade
came Gen. Pattersons brigade, Col. Francis
forming the rear. As the boats push off, un-
der Col. Long, for Skeenesborough, with ths
| baggage, the sick and convalescent, the ordi-
nance, hospital and other stores, and quanti-
ty OF provisions, Col. Baldwin says he rode
away with Capt. Buckland, seeing none of our
people except st. Clair's wagner with his
, horses, until they came to thelast house, where
they found four soldiers partially drunk, and
these they made run, until they came up vita
some other soldiers too heavily loaded, who had
, stopped to throw down a part; they endeavor-
| ed to bring all up with them until they over
took the rear guard, some two miles from the
Mount.
Expecting to come into possession of their
provisions the next day at Skenesborough, the
troops took but little bread with them, al
though they took -four and pork enough for
the march to the North River.
Gen. Poor marching in front, frequently
; falls back to the rear Of his brigade, and, by
, strenuous exertions, before they had travelled
| many miles, marshals his men nearly all to-
gether ana the residue of the long and ardu-
GUS tramp is performed in good order, except
that the TWO Massachusetts regiments, Colonel
| Leonard's regiment under command OF Lit
; | Col Jonathan Hale and Col Wells regl-
ment-under command of Lit. Col. Ezra May,
! | exhibit The greatest discomfort and disorder
Ordinarily fifteen miles is good days
| march for fresh, well-orllled infantry over q
level country, with smooth. hard roads but
st. Clair, with an army tired and jailed with
4 want of sleep and the toilsome labors of the
D preceding night, dispirited by turning theil
backs to the foe, many stll suffering and weak
5 from the effects of the measles, proposes tc
urge on his troops TO Castleton, a distance o
/ | nearly thirty miles, over hllly, denselv
\ wooded country, in narrow, new road, whose
/ | moist muddy forest soil would soon poach witt
The tramp of such multitude, and proposes t.
: make no halt even, unri the army reaches
a stLacey's Camp" distance of about twent,
: miles which place was the first cleared lane
/ they found after leaving Mount Indepen
g dence.
. Gen. Poor, when within about mile o
r sLacey's Camp" meets one of the inhabl ants
e who informs him that there is a large force o
S British and indians at Hubbardton, where
A | uDon b. concludes not to halt at "Lacey's
0 Camp but to push on to Hubbardton, II
a hooes of defeating or capturing this body Q
the e.emv and moving on accordingly; abou
: one o'clock he arrives at "Mr. Burnhams
house, located il. the immediate vicinity o
| the spot now occupied by the Baptist Church
in Hubbardton, where he learns that the ene-
/ | my had been there, but had just left for Cas-
: tleton. Here Gen. 2 or marks out the groune
9 Tor each brigade, and posts each officer, s.
4 that he might tall into his place as his brig
< ade and regiment come up.
: The weather was so sultry, the march hat
, been SO toilsome, that st Clair found many o
: the weak and sckly, the old, the infirm, ant
!, the juvenile were tagging behind, scattered
f for two or three miles in the woods, and there
/, fore halted his main army where they were
: until about FIVE o'clock meanwhile sending
: often to the rear with orders for COL Francs
: to hurry on and joi'i him. Col.Francis, ,howev
( er, did not arrive at "Lacey's Camp" unit
( about three o'clock, and stopping there &C
7 cording to the original plan and orders, b
| halts about two hours and then sends forward
:, Major Dearborn afterwards Major Genera
7 and Secretary of War; to inform st. Clair o
r his approach. st. Clair, relieving Col. Fran
t els from the command of the rear orders, Col
e Warner with his own regiment, and Col. Ma
than Hale's to remain at H-bbardton and Gov
-