The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1864-12-09
A New Anecdote of Westinghouse
Scene in Connecticut-l789.
From the Hartford Tim


of revolutionary memory, who, with bis
noted regiment of Green Mountain Boys,
as rear guard Of st. Glars retreating ar
my, after the evacuation of Ticonderoga,
beat back whole bri gade of holly pursu
ing British, in the battle of Huboardtown,
and thus saved, probably, that luckless
generals entire forces, hurrying OF just in
front, from rout or capture-who came like
thunder bolt on the flushed foe in mid
battle at Bennington, and secured the vic
tory for the wavering and half beaten
Stark, and who finally was everywhere
known as one of the best~looking, most
heroic, and accomplished military officers
of the continental army-that Col. War.
ner was an especial favorite of Gen. Wash
ington.
This preliminary, however, is here in
PRODUCED less on account of any particular
pertlnency most of it may have to the sub
jecs than for the purposes of explanation,
and securing reader appreciation and
credence of the interesting personal anec>
dote which is about to be related, and
which, 1t is confidently believed, has never
before appeared in print.
One son of Col. Warner still survives.
or was surviving few years ago, an I'M
pretending resident of Lower Canada, from
though then seventy five v ears old,
but very active, and in full possession of
all his strong native facuIties-he came to
the capital of Vermont with the object of
petitioning the legislature for compensa>
ton for some lands formerly granted to
the heirs of Col. Warner, but un1lttinclv
trenched upon by subsequent grants and
it was there and then that the writer of
this Renaissance was introduced to him,
and held several very interesting CONVEX
stations.
In one Of these conversations, while
speaking of the private affairs of his father,
Col. Warner, he frankly said that tho COLI
onel was very thoughtless about pecuniarv
matters; that he not only expended in the
cause of the country, or aiding the needy
families of his soldiers, all his available
property, but contracted many debts,
which finally compelled him. a short time
before his death, 10 place a mortgage on
his homestead, amounting at least to over
nine hundred dollars, and causing the fam
i'y great deal of depression and uneasi-
ness. But Of this depressing load they
were at length suddenly relieved in the oc>
currence of most unexpected incident,
and one which formed, as we'll it might,
quite an era in the family history. But
we will let Mr.. Warner, whose Christian
name we believe was that of his father,
Seth, relate the memorable incident in
question in his own language; which, by
the aid OF the minutes before us we know
we can repeat substantially, and we think
very literally as be made use of it.
" 1t was" he said, sin tho month of
September, 1889, and Fall tina, General
Washington made his tour through the
eastern states. We had kept ourselves
tolerably well posted about the progress
of his tour, and heard that he was to be
in New Haven, or Hartford, Connecticut,
somewhere near the time that | am going
to relate took place. But as either of
those places was quite a number of miles,
from " oodbury, where we lived, we had
no more idea of seeing him than the man
in the moon. My elder brother, Israel
Hutnam Warner, then man grown, and
myself, lad of twelve or thirteen, were
both living with my mother at that time
And at the particular time of the day |
refer to, Israel was in the yard grooming
fathers ole war horse, which had been
compelled to 60 with father through all
his campaigns to take charge of for the
fiery and proud old fellow would never let
anybody but bis master, the colonel, and
his son Israel, mount or come near him,
though he had now got so much tam ed
down by old age that he would behave
quite decenily with me or any body. l
was in the house with mother who, hap
pened to be unusually downcast that day,
and was brooding over our family embar-
easements, and had just been saying:
"No, no, Seth, can never pay, nor
with our means, hardly begin to pay this
dreadful mortgage. And as | hear it is
about to be forecosed, we must now soon
be driven from our pleasant home, where
we have lived so long, and, until your
fathers death, SO happily. Ny husband,
the colonel, fought as we'll as the bravest
of them, and did all he could, and more
than his part, for the good cause, they all
are willing to allow; and | know very we'll
that he wore himself out in the service,
and was thus brought to a Premature
grave. And yet here is bis family almost
on the very verge of beggary."
Tears here started in mothers eyes,
which SO touched me that l rose and
went and looked out of the window, when,
to my surprise, | saw entering the yard
two we'll mounted strange gentlemen,
whom, from something about their gener-
al appearances I took to be old military
officers of pretty high rank-or at least
one of them, who was large and had a
very commanding look. Having signifi-
canty beckoned mother to my side, she
eagerly gazed out at the new corners a
moment in silence, when she suddenly
gave start, and, with an exciting air,
exclaimed
Seth just take notice of that noble
looking one! Why, he looks ever 50
much like the picture once saw Of.
Bat no : that surely can't be ~
We'll, at any rate, mother, he must be
man Of some consequence; for, see |!
brother Israel, who acts as if he knew him.
! is swin0ino his hat from b;e bool L.