Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-03-13
chr family Circle.
AN Ancient Gun.

\ gun was shown me the other day by
Capt. Isaac Baldwin, of Oxford. \ H.. that
truly can lay claim 70 antiquity. I5 was
captured by Capt BlldwIn'- grandfather.
somewhere in Massachusetts,. during tie
&c French and Iadian 81 ar. probably about
1874. lie was scouting one day ou his own
account, having the kind of gun known as
Queens Arm, when he saw an Indian who
spied MIR. Baldwin at the same time Both
freed. After some lodging they -at shots
at the same instant, and both missed Tho
Indian rushed to the attack, tomtlas,k iu
hand. and was met by the intrepid pioneer
with dubbed gun. The dubbed Queen r. Arm
was better weapon than the t3madawk.
English nerve and muscle proved TOO much
TOR Indian adroitness, aud the redsain went
down Taking the Indian 5 gan, tJm4lt,ya
and knife as trophies Of his victory Mr.
Baldwin returned to his friends Aba tins
was the gun shown me-
Il was probably OF English make. d. has
been stocked anew, and changed Ito a IA
Dck. The barrel Is Jour feet and three
inches long, "A smooth bore and carries about
a half ounce bali. The long sim barrel
forms an odd contrast to the guns now in use
kind Of seam or ridge runs along the top
of it, the rear sight being simply a crease
filed in the enlarged butt
The one who captured the gun, also name
Isaac Baldwin, was Captain in the BIttle
of BUnker Hill. There he fought ike
tiger. Early in the day the commanding
officer had the men pick up the loose stones
in front of the rifle pits. 50 the enemy 5
bullets would not hit them and glance up
into our works, but bury themselves IN the
loose sand. Capt. Baldwin piled bis 40
carefully inside the trenches, and when asked
why he did that, said they would ses before
the day closed When the powder was ex
hausted. as all know it was who have read the
history Of that days fight, and the enemy
got close enough for his purpose, he ran to
his pile of stones, and, with the energy Of a
man fighting for liberty which he prizad
more than his life, threw the stones, no mean
missile, till shot from the British struck
him down. He was wounded mortally. and
borne away by his men, and died a day 0 two
after at what is now Medtord
This gun now in Oxford did service in the
Revolutionary war, surviving its veteran
comrades of flesh and blood 1t also di
trusty work in New Hampshire when that
state was bowling wilderness Jed1then
Baldwin, father of the present Capt Bald
win, was early settler in HlIs5orouyh.
Stories in which the old gun figured largely,
were told me by the Captain.
One day his father having gone out for the
cows came running back to the house, with
his pants gone. Snatching the gun from the
pegs on which it hung he hurried back into
the woods. While hunting for the COWS. he
saw bear and ran after it, which soon hid
in hollow log Taking off his pants he
hung them down over the end of the log,
and they kept the timid hearted bear in there
till the man returned with his "a and sho |
him.
At another time bear saw him, and at
once ran up a tree. He took off his shirt,
tied it about the tree as high up as he could
reach, and leaving it to keep the ear up
the tree hurried home for the long gun.
he found the bear still up the tree,
Kept there by the sentry shirt, and at the {