Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-12-27
Arecdote Of Washington.

Arecdote Of Washington.
ny D. r. rnoHpsoS
1t is vol known that Colonel Seth Warner O
Revolutionary memory, who with his noted reg
nent Of Green Mountain Bows, as rear-guari q
ST. Ciilr's rttreating army after tho evacuation
Gi llconderoga, beat back whole brigade Of thr
hotly-pursuInI British IN the battle OF llubb ,rd
Ton, and thus saved, probably, that lucky gener'
ais entire forces, hurryrg On just IN front, from
l0ut Or Ctpture-wa0 came down Ike 4 thunder.
bolt 90 ihe lluthed foe ia mii.bsItle at Benuug
ton, and secured the victory tor the wayeriDg ard
haii-beaten Stark, and ~ho finally was every
where known az one Ui tbs nes-llokiug, mos.
heroic and accomplished military office. Of lh,
Continental armY-that Col Warner WAS "a es
pecal iay0fte a General Washington.
This preliminary, however il here introduced
less on account Of particular pertiuency mo Of
it may have to the subject. than ior purposes 0
explanation, aud securing reader appreciation
and cledence Of the einters-ting personal anecdatc
which IL about y D. t4,a'eI, ana which, &.
cJnhder y blueyfI. has nsy.r before appeared
in print.
One son Of Col Warner sti.l survives, or was
|
den. ol Lower Canada, from wbich-snongh
then soveny-ive years Old, bu' very aeHye, and
10 fall possession ol all bis strong native faculties
-he came to the capital OF Vermont with the
object Of pei;ioning the Legislature for compen-
sauon for some lands formerly granted to tbe
heirs of Col. Warner, buJ unwtungiy uenched
upon ty subsequent grants and IL was there
aud lhu tlat the writer Of thlsIemiuisosnce was
introduced 10 MN, ald held several very inter-
esting conversations.
la one IT these conyeIElti0us, whiio speaking
Of the private aii,irs OF his father, Col. Namcr,
he frankly sa.d that the Colonel was very
thOughtie,s about Iecuniary mat;Gis that be
not only expended IN the cause ot the country,
or aiding the needy families of his soldiers, all
bis aytiatls property, but contractel many
debts, which lnaly competed bin, short time
before his d-atb, 70 place mortgage Ola bis
homestead, amounting II ieA't, 10 over nine
hun1rei dollars, AMI cgusBi the istaiIy q great
deal OF depression All upeaslness But Of this
depressing load they were sudden y relieved IL
the occurfeuce o a mos unexp-ct.d incident,
and one which formed, as well II might, qIi-e
an era in their iamily history. Bus We will let
Mr.. Warner, whose christian name. We believe
was that Of mis- father Seth, relate the mem0ra-
bl3 incident In question, Ia his Own language ,
which, by the ail Of minutes before US, We know
We can repeat substantially, aud w. think very
nearly literally. as he made use OF it.
g" /, wac, he said, " in the mon IA of Septsm.
Der, 1852. the Fail that ten, Washington made
his tour through lh6 Eistern ates We had
kept ourselves tolerably well pos I'D about the
progress Of this tour. and that h. was to be in
II - 4 "a. %
near the time az which the event | am going o
relate to you took place. But as either 81 those
places was quite a number ol miles from Wood
bury, whore We lived, VS. had no more ilea Of
seelDg him than man ~ the moon My elder
brother, Israel Putnam Warner, then a man
grown, and myself, q lad OF twelve or thirteen,
were both ivlng with our mother az shat tlmo
Aud at the PARTICULAR Tins OF day / roist to. Is
rael was ia tho yard grooming fathers old war.
horse, which he bad been compelled to 20 with
father through all hs oawpfgns 20 ttko charge
Of ioT tue fiery aud proud ola flloT would
never let anybody but uls master, Ibe UUionsl,
aud bis son Israel, mount or come near him,
though no had now got 50 much tanned down
with old age that he would behave quite docently
wish me or anybody. ! was in the house with
mother, who happened to be unusually down
,ast thut day, aud was lrooding over family err
barrAssmen,s, and mad Just been saying
49, No, no, Seth, ! can never pay, nor with
our meaps, hardly begin TO pay THIS dreadful
mortgage. And as | hear il is about 70 be- fore.
closed, we must now soon be driven from our
pleaRu: home, where we have lived no long and
until your father death, so happily. MY hut-
band, tne Coaae ilu1 ht~s IS q. s. ilr bur
Of them, au1 olI al un cluis, mlls tan bee,
part or the eoli cause thy all are willing t.
allow, aud KNOW very well tha. be wore hlm-
self out IN the service and was thus brought 90 g
premature grave. And yet bore il ans family
almost on the yeis' oi bcggary.
Tears here started 10 mothers eyes, which
so affected mo that Ioso nd went and looked
out OF thl wlnjOS, wheo, 10 ny surprise s4v
two well mounted, stranger gentlemen, whoa,
from something about their general appearance,
/ took 10 be cd military uIhs,rs OF pretty high
rank-or at least, one Of ihem, whu was large
and hao avery mnandlrs look Having eig.
niicanuy hteAoaed mother TO my side, abe ca
rerly guz3d az the newcomers o momsnt in NJ
lenee, when she suddenly gay' START aud, VITA
an excited ait, exclaimed
- Seth lutt take notice of tlat luble. .olking
enc Why, he looks ever 50 much Ike mo pic
ture once saw Ul- But no that surely can
not be
"'Well, ut an,rate, mother, be mus. be msu
OF some Consequence nr,sCci brother lsgaul,
who acts as II le knew him, IL swinging Inc hat
from his head clear away W arms length nbd
bowing lower ,hAn he weud q a king Israel
10 quite too stlil uecso1 10 dolhst l5ra0y tJmmen
maa. Bu, they aio beginning % tdl. will
lnet oJon tho door b're a istle mite, AMI pcf1,ps
We eau hear Nhdt they are saying
- did 80, ana lie hrst words dnsInk kuisaoj,
we're those Of the parsonage wbo had so attrai
our attention, ans wao Addressing my brother,
and pointing TO the horse, by the slde oI which
no vas sanding, asked
- Is uot that ths horse Col. Werner used 20
rid m the war
- Il IL, your exeslleucy, again bOwipg low
and very respectfully.
"Ah, yes thought 50, resumed The former
tuning 10 his companion, or oiiachs, AMI Fout-
ing to The old war slctd With tbttinpfrs: VIII th
} ho vas known ever u regard hns h0.s4'
Thought IL could b. no other. Just glance -
hrs leading polnts--shapoly head, Orched neck,
op chest, haGnehos and llaibs have seen